Second Chances
by Leonhart17
Summary: [COMPLETE] Seifer has returned to Garden and struggles to prove that he is a changed man. He recieves help in his stuggle from an unexpected source. [Seiftis]
1. Second Chances

**Second Chances**

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8, Squaresoft does. (This disclaimer applies for the whole fic.)

Seifer Almasy squinted in thought as he stared at the test paper on his desk. His frown deepened as he pondered the question on the page. He finally made a choice about the correct answer and marked it on the sheet. He leaned back in his chair and pushed the test back on his desk. The proctor overseeing the exam walked over to Seifer's desk and collected the test. It was done. In a little over two hours Seifer's fate would be decided. 

After the war Seifer and Edea and Rinoa had been tried in a court, facing a panel of judges from each of the Gardens. Squall and Cid had fought hard to get the three off on 'insanity due to sorceress possession'. It had worked and the sorceresses and ex-knight had gone free. Rinoa and Edea had gone to Garden to be with the men that they loved and Seifer had gone off to find Rajin and Fujin. The 'posse' had traveled around the world looking for a place to call home. Their search eventually led them back to the place it had all begun. Balamb Garden. Rajin and Fujin had been accepted back into the rank of SeeD with little fuss. Seifer, however, had to repeat all of the basic classes that he had failed the first time around. He passed them easily this time. 

Today was the day of his final written exam. He had to pass this prerequisite before he could take the field exam and finally become a SeeD. 

If he failed the exam he would be forced out of the Garden and would have to find somewhere else to live. If he passed he would get a second chance to fulfill his dreams to be a hero. 

He had studied for days, memorizing procedures and codes and articles that he hadn't given a second glance his first time in the Garden. 

He was desperate to prove that he belonged somewhere. If he could make it into the ranks of SeeD he could prove that he was better than a defeated sorceress' lapdog…prove that he could live up to his own prideful boasts. 

Squall had been reluctant to give him a second chance but once Rinoa and Edea spoke up for him the commander had signed the readmission papers allowing Seifer to return to Garden. 

For the weeks since his return Seifer had been an excellent student, paying attention and being respectful towards his instructors. 

He had even humbled himself and asked Squall and his friends for forgiveness for his actions. Zell was reluctant at first but when he saw the seriousness in Seifer's green eyes he had nodded and even extended his hand to shake. Irvine, who was probably the least affected by Seifer's actions, was quick to grant forgiveness to Seifer. Selphie said that though she could not forget what he did to her home she would forgive him. Rinoa told him that she had already forgiven him and that she hoped that they could be friends again. Squall didn't directly say that he had forgiven Seifer but he did offer to train with Seifer in his time off. Quistis just gave him a small smile and nodded affirmatively. 

Since the group had forgiven him they had started to hang out with him socially. They would eat together and when they went out together it was rare to not see Seifer in their midst. Seifer and Squall still fought a lot but Rinoa and Quistis were always there to get between them and calm them down. 

As he took the SeeD exam the group was waiting for him in the cafeteria to learn how he had done. 

After the interminable waiting had ended Seifer was handed a sealed envelope containing the results of his test. 

As soon as he had it in his hand he took off out the door of the classroom and bolted to the elevator. The ride to the first floor had never seemed so long to the anxious young man. As soon as the doors were open enough for him to squeeze through he was out and down the stairs, running for the cafeteria entrance. 

He ran into the room waving the envelope. Rinoa was the first to see him and she stood and waved him over. He ran over and sat down, throwing the envelope on the table. 

"Well, what does it say?" she asked, a little nervous. 

"I wanted y'all to be here when I opened it," he said. 

"Well hurry up and open it up!" Selphie shouted. 

"Give him a sec darlin'" Irvine drawled to his hyper girlfriend. 

Seifer looked nervous as he reached for the manila envelope that contained his hopes and dreams. 

His hand stopped short of its destination as he hesitated. 

"What if I failed?" he muttered to himself. 

Quistis, seated beside him, overheard the comment and, pitying her former student, asked "Seifer, do you want me to open it for you?" 

He looked into her eyes and the relief that was apparent in his green orbs made his decision clear. 

She smiled and squeezed his hand as her other reached for the packet. She released his hand as she opened the envelope. She pulled the test out of the folder and read the comments at the top of the page. His score was written on the top in red marker. She took his hand again as she asked him, "Are you ready?" 

He nodded and she slowly turned the pages toward his face. His eyes widened as they saw the bright red circle with the numbers '89' inside. He had done it. He had passed the test. He was on his way to becoming a SeeD. 

AN: Please review. Advice, tips, encouragement would be great. 

Next chapter: Seifer goes on his Field Exam with Quistis as his SeeD backup. 


	2. Deep Thoughts

**Deep Thoughts**

It was several days after the written exam and Seifer was awakened by a knock on the door of his dorm.

Grumbling at having been woken earlier than his norm he walked to the door in his boxers prepared to give the person on the other side a beating for waking him.

He was surprised to see Quistis standing there holding a file folder.

"What do you want at this time of the morning?" he groaned.

She smirked at him and handed him the folder.

"There was a mission request called in this morning," she replied simply.

His green eyes widened as he realized the implications of her statement.

"So…I…I'm taking my exam today?"

She grinned openly at his confusion and nodded.

"Get dressed and meet me in the cafeteria so we can go over the briefing before we have to leave."

His dumbfounded expression faded and he nodded.

As his door began to slide closed she called through the opening, "Nice pajamas Seifer."

* * *

Seifer entered the cafeteria dressed in his SeeD cadet uniform. He looked around him for Quistis but he didn't see her. He shrugged and walked towards the food line.

As he took the tray from the attendant he heard a voice behind him say, "That uniform looks good on you."

He turned and looked into the smiling face of Quistis Trepe.

He smirked and gave a short laugh.

"Everything looks good on me Trepe. You should know that by now."

She rolled her eyes and commented, "Same old Seifer. You'll never change."

"Would you want me too?" he grinned.

"It would certainly make my life easier," she returned quickly.

The two grinned at each other as Quistis took her tray and they moved to the tables. They sat down together and he pulled the mission briefing from his uniform jacket pocket.

She spread the information out on the table and began to explain the mission objectives and requirements.

The mission was a small one, requiring only two SeeDs. It had been decided that Seifer would go with Quistis. She was in command but he could offer an opinion if directed. That way he would still have to take orders from someone but he was free to help decide their course of action. Cid had decided that it might not be wise to make Seifer the squad captain again after the disastrous results of his last attempt.

Quistis and Seifer were to leave the mobile Garden by boat and go to Esthar to be given further directions by the Estharian president Laguna Loire. From the information given to them in the briefing there had been an uprising of cyborg soldiers that the Estharian technicians had been unable to stop. SeeD was being called in to stop the rouge robots and to determine, if possible, who or what was making them malfunction.

After they had eaten and equipped their magic and GFs they got Squall to dock the Garden so that they could take a boat from the SeeD garage at the town of Balamb.

As they were boarding the boat Squall stopped them.

"Be very careful. Both of you."

"Aww, Squally cares. That's so sweet," Seifer said with a grin.

Squall rolled his eyes and Quistis spoke up.

"We'll be fine Squall."

He nodded and saluted his friends.

They both saluted back and he turned and left the dock to return to Garden.

As soon as he was gone Quistis turned to Seifer and, blue eyes flashing, she stomped past him onto the boat.

With a groan he turned after her and followed her to the bottom deck of the boat.

She was setting the autopilot for the coast of Esthar and while she was distracted he moved up behind her and asked, "What did I do this time?"

"Why do you always have to push his buttons?!"

"What? You mean Squall? Quistis you should know better than anyone that pushing each others buttons is what Squall and I do best."

"I know that but Squall is really trying to be more open with his feelings and actually talk to us about things and when you get in his face about his feelings he shrinks back inside himself and it makes it that much harder to get him to open up again."

He looked thoughtful for a second and then reluctantly nodded.

"I guess I'll back off."

Quistis looked surprised at his acquiescence to her request.

"Just let me ask you one thing," he requested.

She nodded and he continued, "Why do you want me to back off, is it because you like him or do you really want to see him become a more open person. Because you have to know that the more he opens himself the more of his heart he will give to Rinoa. If you want him for yourself then you're only hurting that goal if you make me stop pushing him."

She looked deep into Seifer's eyes as she thought about her response. She was surprised into his insight into her mind and seriously considered his question.

She finally sighed and swallowed as she prepared to answer. The silence in the cabin of the boat was only broken by the hum of the engines and the sound of the waves they rode through on their voyage.

"I genuinely care about Squall and I want him to be happy. I do love him but just as a brother. He is my brother, my leader, and one of my best friends. I know that Rinoa and him belong together and that for their relationship to work he needs to be totally honest with her. That will be a hard thing for him to learn to do but I know that she will help him and I know that I want to help them learn to be together."

He appeared satisfied with her answer and turned to go up onto the top deck of the boat.

His mind and heart filled with relief at her answer; so much relief that he was surprised at the amount of weight his heart had attached to her reply.

"How do you feel that your rival is in love with your ex-girlfriend?"

Her voice stopped his progress to the upper deck and he slowly turned to look her in the eyes.

Her arms were crossed over her chest and she had a serious look on her face.

"Umm…"

He stumbled for a reply.

He gathered his thoughts for a moment and began to speak.

"Squall has always gotten everything I have ever wanted. He became SeeD before me. He always got the attention that I craved. I think it is only just that he has Rinoa too. Besides, what me and Rinoa had would never have lasted past that summer. She was destined for him. Anyway, now that they are together I think I can finally get something that he always had but never wanted."

With that he turned and went up onto the deck.

"Now what did he mean by that?" Quistis wondered aloud.

* * *

The SeeD boat landed at the dock on the coast of Esthar that afternoon. The two teens eagerly disembarked. They were both tired of being cramped on the small boat all day.

They had landed as close to the city as they could and were going to walk to the city and meet with President Loire when they arrived.

The walk through the desert was uneventful except for a few run ins with some Mesmerizes.

Soon after they left the boat they found the entrance into town and they were met by a car sent by Laguna. They both climbed in and the car zoomed off towards the Presidential Palace.

When they arrived at the huge house they were met by the exuberant president himself. As soon as they got out of the car they were engulfed in hugs from the excitable old man. Kiros and Ward were there to help them extract themselves from the president's grasp.

Once they got him calmed down the group retired into the meeting room of the massive mansion.

"Well first of all, welcome to Esthar again Quistis and Seifer. Um, we called SeeD about some rampaging cyborg soldiers."

"Yes, sir," replied the two SeeD representatives.

"The cyborgs have been attacking the city during the day and then at night they retreat into the desert," Kiros told them.

"Can you tell us anything else?" Quistis questioned.

Laguna and his friends thought and Kiros and Laguna shook their heads.

Ward took a piece of paper from the desk and began writing. When he had finished he handed it to Quistis.

'The cyborgs have been leaving the city at 9:47 each night.'

She showed the note to Seifer and he nodded as he read.

The two SeeDs thanked Laguna and Kiros and Ward for their help and prepared to leave.

As they exited the palace Quistis faced Seifer and asked' "This is it. Are you ready?"

He nodded.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time. I won't screw up again."

AN: Please Review.

Next Chapter: Seifer and Quistis defend Esthar from the cyborgs and try to uncover the mystery surrounding them.


	3. Cyborg Soldiers

**Cyborg Soldiers**

Seifer and Quistis cautiously poked their heads around the corner and peered up the street.

"Looks clear," he reported.

They moved down the street both gripping their weapons. They were dressed in the uniforms of Esthar guards. The electric blue uniforms would help them blend in if they ran into any cyborgs.

They had been patrolling the city on foot for several hours and were waiting for an opportunity to follow the cyborg troops back to wherever it was that they went after 9:47 PM.

It was only nine o'clock so they had a while yet to find some targets. As they walked they looked into the alleys and open doors on either side of the street.

It was getting close to 9:47 as they got close to the shopping center of the city. They walked up the street towards the center and they saw three cyborgs marching up the road ahead of them. They slowed their pace and concentrated on walking silently.

They followed the cyborgs out of town and toward the Sorceress Memorial. Just before they reached the monument, however, the cyborgs entered a cave a little ways off the path.

Before they entered the cave the robotic soldiers looked behind them and around the cave to make sure that there was no one following them.

Quistis and Seifer had barely made it under cover before the cyborgs had started their survey of their surroundings.

They were pressed to the back side of a large rock. Seifer had pulled Quistis into his lap and they had their heads ducked down between their knees.

They remained tensely huddled down until they heard the measured steps that meant that the robots were entering the cave.

They heard a noise that sounded like a large stone rubbing on other stone so they cautiously poked their heads up.

Seifer saw that the coast was clear and he gently pushed Quistis up to her feet. She extended her hand back down to help him up. He took her hand and got to his feet.

The two headed towards the cave, both cautious for a trap.

They looked around the cave entrance. They found the door easy enough but neither could find a way into the cave.

"Well, captain what do we do?" Seifer asked.

"Well, cadet we could go back to the town and get the President to give us soldiers to come back out here; or we could charge in, just the two of us."

His smirk was on his face before the sentence was out of her mouth.

"I vote for plan number 2," he responded.

"Well, tell me why I should pick that plan of action and your excuse cannot be that it will be more fun for you."

"If we go in now the two of us go in now we would be able to discover what is going on without having to risk the lives of the Estharian soldiers that the president would send. Also it would get me some more battle experience which I will desperately need if I make it into SeeD. And thirdly that plan ensures that we do not have to wake the hard working president."

She considered his reasoning for a moment and reluctantly nodded.

"I guess we'll do it your way."

His cocky grin immediately made her reconsider her choice.

* * *

The cyborgs that had been in the city that day were just reporting back to their leader when a loud explosion rocked the underground base.

The robots quickly moved to the entrance of their base and were just as quickly destroyed by a lightning quick gunblade and a striking whip.

The two teenagers moved from room to room destroying the cyborgs that attacked them in waves.

They reached the lowest part of the cave and enter the room they found there.

Their first glance at the room revealed that this was the main operating center of the base. The other rooms had been power stations and dorms for the few human workers.

This room was filled with a large computer system from which the cyborgs were controlled.

Sitting behind the computer cowering in their chairs were Biggs and Wedge.

Seifer's cocky grin returned quickly when he saw his adversaries. Quistis rolled her eyes at this and sighed.

"Please just be careful."

"I'm always careful instructor."

With that Seifer ran quickly at the two ex-Galbadian soldiers.

He had his gunblade held low on his left side and he swept it up in a vicious strike. He felt several bullets whiz past his body as he charged.

His first strike moved him past Biggs so he brought his blade down at Wedge.

He heard the familiar crack of Quistis' whip as she faced off against Biggs behind him.

She quickly had Biggs tied up with her whip and at the loss of his partner Wedge surrendered.

They bound the two soldier's hands and dragged them back to the city.

By this time it was around twelve thirty so they took their prisoners to the closest Estharian Army station that they could find.

Quistis explained the situation to the commander at the base and he promised that the president would be notified of their success first thing in the morning.

Satisfied with his promise they wrote down the directions on how to find the cave so that the operation could be dismantled.

The commander quickly agreed to send men out to the cave to check everything out.

With that done Quistis and Seifer went to find somewhere to sleep.

They checked into the hotel and slept the rest of the night.

* * *

'BRRRRRRRRRINGGGGGGGG'

'BRRRRRRRRRINGGGGGGGG'

The telephone in Seifer's room kept ringing, determined to get the tired man out of bed.

He finally picked it up and grumbled into the receiver, "What do you want?"

Laguna's cheerful voice greeted him.

"Good work on the mission last night. My guys went in this morning and got the computer system out of the cave. Apparently those two guys you caught were ex-Galbadian soldiers who stole the designs for the computer system from the Estharian Ambassador who was at the trial for you and Rinny and Edea. They were trying to get back at Squall by attacking my country."

"Hmmm, that's nice," Seifer murmured as he hung up the phone, still very sleepy.

'BRRRRRRRRRINGGGGGGGG'

'BRRRRRRRRRINGGGGGGGG'

The ringing began again.

"WHAT!?!?!?!" he screamed into the phone.

"Seifer? It's just me," Quistis' voice said softly.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that, Laguna kept calling me, I thought you were him."

He heard her laughter and his mood darkened.

"It isn't nice to laugh at people," he informed her.

"It isn't nice to answer the phone screaming, either," she replied.

Though it was juvenile he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Stop that Seifer," she commanded.

"How… how did you know…?"

She just laughed, "Checkout is at 10, don't be late."

AN: Please Review.

Next Chapter: Will Seifer graduate or is he doomed to fail again?

AN2: The number 9:47 is not random. Last summer for some reason every morning I woke up at 9:47. There was no alarm clock or anything it was really random.


	4. Graduation?

**Graduation…?**

Seifer paced anxiously as he waited for the announcements of the SeeD cadets who had passed.

His friends stood up the hall a ways, not wanting to get in his way. He had been moody and stressed all day and seemed to be relapsing into his former persona.

That morning all his friends had come by to wish him luck and he had been snappy and angry. He had been trying to pick fights with Squall and had been antagonistic and rude all day.

Since his friends had begun to give him a wide berth he had been thinking a lot about his decision to join SeeD. He had begun his quest for redemption hoping to prove that he could be better than what everyone thought of him. He was better than a defeated lapdog. He could be the knight that he had always boasted that he would become.

He had to be.

He had nothing left outside of that dream.

He knew that he was an excellent swordsman, on par with the SeeD commander himself. However, he was unsure if he could devote himself to the mercenary organization as strongly as Squall had.

He was unsure if he wanted to.

Squall had everything. He had gotten the girl. He had the large group of friends. He was the hero of the world.

What was there left for Seifer?

Seifer was the loner. The outsider at Garden. The villain to Squall's hero.

The mere thought, however, of surrendering to his rival made his blood boil.

His eyes flashed.

No.

He would not take second place to Squall.

He would work harder. Be better.

He would make a home here and become the commander's equal or better.

Nothing else was acceptable to Seifer's pride.

Just then the very SeeD Seifer had just determined to beat walked around the corner into the second floor hallway.

"Almasy, come with me."

Seifer nodded and followed his leader to the elevator.

* * *

The elevator slid to a smooth stop at the third floor. As the two young men stepped out of the car they were greeted by Cid who was flanked by Edea and Xu. Quistis stood several feet behind them.

Squall walked toward Cid and the old man handed the commander something that Seifer couldn't see.

Seifer was getting nervous as he stood facing the entourage before him. Instead of showing his weakness in front of his superiors he hid his fear behind a mask of arrogant anger.

He was surprised when the Garden commander turned to face him, a rolled document in his hands.

"Seifer Almasy, I am pleased to present you with this diploma declaring your graduation from cadet status to active SeeD duty," Squall said seriously.

Seifer's shoulders slumped quickly in relief and he saluted Squall proudly.

The headmaster came to Seifer next and whispered, "You are only the second gunblader to graduate in 10 years. Make us proud."

After Squall and Cid stepped back Seifer unrolled the document that he had been handed.

'Seifer Almasy has successfully completed classes at Balamb Garden and has passed his field exam with a score of: 8.'

He could not help the cocky grin that appeared on his face.

He smelled raspberries and his head came up to look into the blue eyes of Quistis Trepe.

"Congratulations Seifer," was all she said.

"Instructor," he responded with a nod.

She sighed and turned to walk away.

He moved behind her and stopped her with a hand to the shoulder.

"Would you come to a congratulations dinner with me?"

Her eyebrow raised a fraction and her head cocked a little to the side.

"I meant along with everyone else."

Her face cleared and he thought he might have seen a tiny hint of disappointment lingering in her eyes.

But, fast as blinking her face was back to the impassive face that he was so used to seeing on her.

She nodded and he released her shoulder.

"What crawled up her ass and died?" he questioned to himself as she walked away.

* * *

The group was in the cafeteria waiting for any word from the cranky ex-knight or from his rival commander.

Squall walked in and headed over to the table.

He just nodded and the worried faces of his friends melted into relief.

"So…where is he now?" spoke up Rinoa.

Squall just shrugged and went to get his lunch.

Rinoa huffed momentarily about her boyfriend's lack of vocal response and thought for a moment.

"Training Center," she proclaimed.

* * *

Seifer's Hyperion whirled through the air. The strike connected with the meaty calf of the T- Rexaur which was Seifer's opponent for the moment.

Seifer quickly followed his slash up with a quick Fira spell which caused the dinosaur to rear back in surprise and pain.

His blade was quickly slashing and striking at the T-Rex's softer underbelly.

After the monster had regained its balance he went back to striking its leg.

With a roar the leg gave out and the victorious warrior quickly put the beast out of its misery.

The applause when he completed the fight was as unexpected as the one who was giving it.

Quistis stood leaning against a tree, watching him.

"Bravo."

He gallantly bowed and smirked.

"How about a fight against a human opponent?"

He considered.

"You couldn't handle me," he declared.

She scoffed at his arrogance and unfurled her whip.

Save-the-Queen's sharp barbs gleamed in the light as it snapped and curled in the air.

A quick snap of its mistress' wrist had it curling towards her hand where she plucked it from the air with ease.

Seifer eyed her for a moment before shrugging out of his SeeD uniform jacket. He placed it carefully to the side and readied his stance before nodding to her.

Before either could comprehend what was happening, they were charging. His blade rose to meet the tip of her striking whip.

The sword managed to get the whip away from him but before he could start to mount an offensive she had pulled the whip back into her grip and was preparing another strike.

He noticed just in time and managed to take a step closer to her and force the whip to strike too far out.

He quickly moved his blade into range for a slash at her.

She was lithe and quick however, and was able to slide out of the way.

The next time she struck at him he took two strides toward her and was even closer to contact with his slashing blade.

Their dance continued.

Whip.

Step into range.

Slash.

Dodge.

Start over.

Sweat was pouring down both of their faces as they circled, still striking and stepping and slashing.

Finally, tired of the endless duel, Seifer, as he dodged her strike at his legs, ran at her.

This caught Quistis off guard and she stumbled backwards.

He got close enough that she couldn't strike at him and he slid his sword to her throat.

She reluctantly dropped her whip and glared daggers at him.

He contemplated her as he held his blade steadily at her neck.

"I think I understand something about you now, Trepe."

Her eyes squinted but she said nothing.

"The closer people get to you," he said, stepping closer but not lowering his sword, "the more you start to slip up."

He moved even closer.

"That's why you're the Ice Queen all the time, you're afraid if you let someone into your heart- if you let your guard down enough to let them in then they will destroy you as soon as they possibly can."

So saying he stepped as close as possible while lowering Hyperion to his side.

"Is it really so bad to trust people not to hurt you?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" she returned acidly.

She really hated the insight into her that he possessed.

It frightened her that he could read her that easily.

Before either could say another word Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine and Zell walked around the bridge behind them.

Seifer stepped away from Quistis and collected his jacket.

"Hey guys!" Selphie shouted in greeting.

"Hi Selph," Quistis replied, straightening her hair.

Seifer just nodded.

He gathered his thoughts for a moment and spoke up.

"Tonight is the SeeD party but tomorrow night could we all go to dinner together?" he asked quickly.

The party nodded and he quickly took his leave of the room.

"I'll never understand him," Rinoa said.

Quistis couldn't help but agree.

AN: Thank you Shortey for reviewing. I'm glad you like it. I tried to add more insight into this chapter.

Please review!

Next Chapter: Seifer's graduation party


	5. Party!

**PARTY!**

Seifer stood next to his bed in his new SeeD dorm. He was staring down at his new uniform with an implacable expression on his face.

Finally…

He had finally made it into SeeD.

He had accomplished his goal and made it into the most accomplished mercenary force in the world. Now he just had to prove that he could do the job.

He dressed slowly, relishing in the feel of the heavy navy jacket on his shoulders. He looked at himself in the mirror and smirked.

"I was born for this," he declared as he left his dorm.

* * *

The ballroom was already full of loud, excited teens by the time Quistis showed up for the party with Rinoa and Selphie.

The other two girls had insisted that Quistis needed to be gorgeous for the party and, to that end, had demanded that she allow them to help her get ready for the dance.

Their efforts were not in vain as Quistis looked radiant in the blue gown she was wearing. It matched her eyes and brought out the blonde of her hair.

As the three girls entered the ballroom their male counterparts were crossing the crowded room towards them.

Irvine and Squall bowed to their girlfriends and offered their hands to lead their girls onto the dance floor.

Zell, with a wide grin, slid to a halt in front of Quistis and offered her his hand.

"May I have this dance instructor?"

"Certainly, Zell," she returned with a gentle smile.

The two moved to the dance floor and joined the waltz.

Seifer entered the ballroom and was immediately jumped on by Fujin and Rajin.

"Ya did it Seifer man, good job, ya know!"

"CONGRATULATIONS"

He grinned at his friends and laughed.

"Ya'll need to have a little more faith. I knew I was gonna pass."

Fujin rolled her eyes and smirked.

Seifer just grinned widely at her, a hint of his old cockiness in his green eyes.

The three friends moved around the outskirts of the room towards the food.

They each got something to eat and went out on the balcony to eat their supper.

When they had finished Rajin and Fujin decided to go dance. Seifer decided to go get something to drink.

He took his glass and leaned against a column, unknowingly mimicking the posture of his rival.

As he stood surveying the dancing couples Selphie ran up to him to congratulate him on his accomplishment.

The two stood and talked quietly for a few moments before they were joined by the rest of the group. Squall didn't say anything but just stuck his hand out to shake Seifer's. Rinoa grinned widely and hugged him before he could jump out of range. Irvine and Zell each shook Seifer's hand and nodded their respect. Quistis hugged him and quickly moved back a few steps.

"Congratulations Seifer. You deserve this."

He smirked.

"Of course I do. I was made for this."

The group rolled their eyes and grinned at his attitude.

"So, what time do you want to go to dinner tomorrow Seifer?" Selphie asked the beaming blonde.

"Um, how about around seven? Is that cool with everyone?"

He received nods from the group and they grinned at each other.

Finally.

A familiar waltz began playing in the background and Squall and Rinoa's eyes met. He took her hand and led her onto the floor. Irvine turned and bowed to Selphie and she giggled as she grabbed his pony tail and dragged him to the dance floor. A nervous brunette walked slowly up to the group and tapped Zell on the shoulder.

Her pigtails were hanging in her face as she quietly asked Zell to dance. He grinned widely and stuck his chest out as he stuck his arm out for her to take. She did so and the pair walked to the dance floor.

The remaining two were locked in an uncomfortable silence as the rest of their friends deserted them.

"So…um, Quistis…do you wanna…um…dance?"

Her blue eyes were cautious as they stared into his green orbs, straining to discover any hint of insincerity or malice towards her. All she found was a genuine desire to dance with her and a subconscious desire for approval in his eyes.

He wanted approval. Her approval. Of him.

He wanted her to like him.

She was stunned at this unconscious revelation. He was eager for her approval of him. He liked her and wanted her to like him.

Still dazed, she nodded her acquiescence to his request for a dance.

The two blondes swept onto the floor. Seifer's arms were tight around her body as the pair quickly found their place in the pattern of the dance.

Quistis' thoughts were confused and jumbled as she thought over the things she had seen in her partner's eyes.

She heard Seifer say something to her but her mind didn't comprehend what the words meant.

"Quis? Is something wrong?" he questioned quietly.

Her eyes snapped back into focus and met his questioning green gaze.

"Huh? Did you say something Seifer?"

He smirked a little at her absent expression and nodded.

"I just asked if something was wrong. You weren't paying much attention."

"Oh, um…I was just thinking."

"Care to share?"

Her face immediately closed back into her normal reserved expression. Her eyes were suspicious and nervous.

"It's nothing important. I just had a thought that surprised me. That's all."

When he saw that he wasn't going to get anything else from her he just nodded in understanding.

They continued to glide around the floor, both lost in thought. The first song came to an end and another began. Neither of the pair noticed, both subtly changed their movements to match the beat and rhythm of the music.

They danced for a long time, through many songs. Their dancing was a change in their relationship. They began to see each other how they were. Quistis discovered that Seifer was a nice person if he wanted to be. Seifer saw that Quistis wasn't the overcritical, stuck up person that he had always thought that she was. She was just worried that others wouldn't like her so she tried her hardest to be perfect and get the others around her to be perfect as well.

By the time the two stopped dancing the rest of the ballroom was empty and only their friends remained in the room.

The music had stopped playing and their friends were sitting at tables on the balcony of the ballroom.

By this time it was one-thirty in the morning. The group said their goodnights and separated to go to their dorms.

As Quistis entered her dorm she realized that she had just spent the entirety of an evening with Seifer Almasy and she had actually enjoyed it. He could be fun to be with. He could be a gentleman. She couldn't believe that they had danced all night without arguing once the whole time.

It was startling to realize that they could actually get along and have fun together. She had always thought that he hated her. She had always disliked him because of it.

The revelation that he might actually like her was a scary one.

AN:Please review!

Next Chapter: Seifer and his friends spend time together and go out to dinner together.


	6. Quality Time

**Quality Time**  
  
Quistis awoke late the morning following the party. She took her time taking a shower and getting dressed.  
  
By the time she arrived at the cafeteria she was not surprised to see that most everyone else had already departed for missions and classes. She retrieved her normal breakfast from the line and got a table in the back of the room.  
  
She hadn't been there long before the rest of her friends trooped in, all of them looking exhausted.  
  
Each grabbed their food and came to join her at her table. Zell's plate was loaded down with sausage and eggs and muffins. He gave her single bagel a disgusted look and frowned at her.  
  
"How do you survive on that tiny amount of food?"  
  
Quistis rolled her eyes and laughed.  
  
"Not everyone burns as much energy in one day as you do Zell. I don't have to eat as much to keep going."  
  
He scoffed.   
  
"It cannot be good for you."  
  
"I'm sure I'll be fine Zell."  
  
He looked doubtful as he returned his attention to his mountain of food.  
  
The others at the table were trying not to fall asleep on their trays.  
  
Rinoa had her head buried in Squall's shoulder and he was leaning on his arm, struggling to stay awake.  
  
Selphie's head was laying flat against the table, very nearly in her plate of scrambled eggs.  
  
Irvine was leaning back in his chair and had his hat over his eyes.  
  
"Why did we stay up so late?" Selphie groaned, her voice muffled by the table.  
  
"Huh, what are you talking about? The party ended at one thirty." Seifer questioned.  
  
Irvine shot straight up in his chair and Selphie's head raised very quickly.  
  
"Heh heh, um…she doesn't know what she's talking about. We went to bed right after the party." Irvine quickly responded.  
  
Seifer's eyes lit up and he smirked.  
  
"Yeah, but what happened in bed that kept you two up so late?" he questioned with a mischievous grin.  
  
Selphie's face went bright red and she hurriedly shoveled her food into her mouth.  
  
"Nothing that's any of your business Seifer," Irvine responded but his face was slowly turning crimson.  
  
Seifer's grin widened and he laughed.  
  
"Seifer leave them alone."  
  
"Aww, I'm just having a little fun Quistis."  
  
"Well I'm the only one who's awake enough to get the humor and I don't appreciate it."  
  
Instead of quelling his playful spirit, her rebuke just made him want to continue his little joke.  
  
His next targets were Squall and Rinoa.  
  
"So why are you two lovebirds so tired this morning?" he questioned.  
  
Squall's blue eyes narrowed and he glared at his rival turned friend. Rinoa blushed and hid her face in Squall's coat.  
  
Quistis was quick to stop the argument that was about to start. She sent Seifer a glare as she stood up.  
  
"Seifer would you like to come with me to Cid's office and see if there are any missions that came in?"  
  
"Um…no not…"  
  
The look in her blue eyes stopped whatever he was going to say and he sighed and picked up his last piece of toast as he stood up.  
  
"Sure, why not."  
  
The rest of the table looked at each other in confusion as the two left the cafeteria.  
  
"What's going on with those two?" Selphie asked.

* * *

"You are impossible. I asked you to leave them alone and you just have to keep it up. Why can't you just listen to me?"  
  
"I was just messing around Quistis. I wasn't hurting anyone or anything."  
  
"Seifer, I don't know if you realize this but you have this ability to make people feel bad about themselves and even if you don't mean your teasing to hurt someone sometimes it can hurt. What you did to Selphie and Irvine and Rinoa and Squall was embarrassing and it probably hurt their feelings."  
  
His head went down as he thought over what she had said.  
  
They were stopped in the main corridor of the Garden, just outside of the cafeteria.  
  
His head came up and he met her eyes.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's not me you need to apologize to Seifer."  
  
"No, Quistis I do owe you an apology. All that stuff you just said about what I did to them, I did it to you too. I'm sorry."  
  
She stared at him for a small eternity before her face turned crimson and she ducked her head.  
  
He stepped as close as he dared and lifted her chin with his fingers.  
  
"And don't even think that I didn't mean it. I'm sorry for everything that I've done that hurt you."  
  
She looked stunned and surprised at his admission.  
  
"Wait here for me, I'll go apologize to the others."

* * *

The rest of the group was still sitting at the table blushing. Zell had missed the whole thing and was oblivious to the reason the rest of his friends were blushing in the uncomfortable silence.  
  
Seifer ran back in the cafeteria and the rest of the group scowled at him.  
  
"Hey guys, I just wanted to apologize for the little joke earlier. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"  
  
In a daze at hearing Seifer uttering those words the group just nodded and he grinned and ran back out of the room.  
  
"Quistis is really having an effect on him," Selphie noted after a few seconds.  
  
Upon hearing this Rinoa's brown eyes lit up and she looked at Selphie with a grin.  
  
"Do you think…?"  
  
"Yeah, maybe…"  
  
The two girls jumped up and ran out of the cafeteria without another word.  
  
"What just happened here?" Squall asked with a confused look on his face.  
  
The other two guys just shrugged and returned to their food. The commander was quick to follow suit.

* * *

Edea was sitting in the Quad when Selphie and Rinoa bolted in. The two teens skidded to a halt in front of the older woman.  
  
"Matron, we need your help."  
  
"Very well children, what is it?"  
  
"Well, we were thinking that Seifer and Quistis both seem kind of lonely and they work good together so maybe we could get them together," Selphie explained hurriedly.  
  
Edea's beautiful face frowned in thought for a moment before a small smile graced her lips.  
  
"Yes they would be good together. They can help each other. It's perfect."  
  
The two teens grinned at each other and began plotting.

* * *

Cid ushered the two tall blondes into his office and they saluted and stood at attention until he had moved back behind his desk.  
  
"Is there something I can help you two with?"  
  
Quistis nodded and Seifer rolled his eyes.  
  
"Yeah we were wondering if there were any new missions that had come in."  
  
Before the headmaster could answer, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller id and cleared his throat.  
  
"Um, if you'll excuse me I need to take this call."  
  
The two nodded and Cid picked up the receiver.  
  
"Yes? ... Ok… Those two? ... Are you sure? … Yeah, I'll do it."  
  
He hung up and returned his gaze to the patient teens standing at attention in front of him. He consulted a list in front of him and glanced at the pair.  
  
He lifted a sheet from a stack on his desk and perused it before handing it to Quistis.  
  
"I think you two will do well on this mission."  
  
"Um sir…we didn't mean that we wanted a mission _together_."   
  
"Aww, Quisty, this will be fun. Let's do it."   
  
So saying, Seifer snatched the paper from her hands and read it.  
  
'SeeD is to go undercover and infiltrate the headquarters of the Galbadian military that is controlling the town of Timber. The SeeDs are to gather intelligence which will help lead to the downfall of Galbadian control in Timber.'  
  
Seifer's formerly tanned face drained of color as he completed the letter.  
  
"Um, Cid I'm still wanted by the Galbadians for treason."  
  
"Um, I had forgotten that little detail. I'll make some calls and try and take care of that."  
  
Quistis gasped and gazed at Cid.   
  
"You didn't take care of that after the trial!?!"  
  
"Um, it slipped my mind."  
  
She made like she was going to lunge on the old man but Seifer grabbed her around the waist and dragged her away from him.  
  
"Just get it taken care of before we leave, ok?" Seifer requested as he pulled the thrashing woman towards the door.  
  
The frightened old man nodded and immediately picked up his phone.  
  
Outside Seifer pinned the raging Quistis to the wall and tried to calm her down.  
  
"What in Hyne's name is wrong with you?"  
  
"This whole time Galbadia has been after you and he could have taken care of it but it 'slipped his mind.'"  
  
"They're not stupid enough to attack Balamb Garden just to get to me. Don't worry about it."  
  
"I'm not worried about the Garden, you idiot. I'm worried about _you_."  
  
The last part of her statement was delivered in a whisper but he heard her anyway.  
  
His eyes widened and he loosened his hold on her.  
  
She looked up at him, suddenly nervous.  
  
"Um, look, just forget I said that ok?"  
  
He looked down at her and, seeing the desperation and confusion in her eyes, nodded.  
  
She slipped out of his arms and walked quickly down the hall.  
  
"Now, what did she mean by that?" Seifer wondered to himself.

* * *

Around the corner Quistis leaned against the wall, breathing hard.  
  
Was it true?  
  
Did it really worry her this much that Seifer still had death warrants on his head?  
  
She should have expected it.  
  
But no.  
  
It had surprised her and she had slipped.  
  
She had lost control for two minutes and revealed feelings that she hadn't admitted to herself that she had.  
  
She was worried about him.  
  
Damn it.  
  
She didn't want to lose him.

AN: I know I said that they were going out to dinner in this chapter but I just started writing and this is what came out. They will go out to dinner in the next chapter.

Please Review

Next Chapter: Seifer and friends go out to dinner and Selphie and Rinoa begin their matchmaking plot.


	7. Dinner with Friends

Dinner with Friends  
  
For the rest of the day Seifer and Quistis avoided each other and the rest of the group was careful to avoid mention of the strange behavior of that morning.  
  
By the time seven o'clock had rolled around the group, minus Quistis and Seifer, was waiting at the fountain in the center of the Garden.  
  
"Where are they? This is Seifer's dinner for goodness sake!" Rinoa questioned.  
  
Before anyone could say anything in response Quistis walked around the curve of the Garden and joined the group.  
  
"Where's Seifer?"  
  
The rest of her friends shrugged and she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Typical."  
  
The group grinned and laughed. At this moment the blonde in question ran around the corner and quickly slid to a halt before he crashed into his friends.  
  
"Hey guys, what's so funny?"  
  
His friends exchanged glances and in unison replied, "Nothing."  
  
Seifer rolled his eyes and smirked.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Hey, that's Squall's line," Selphie giggled.  
  
Squall's hand went to his forehead in exasperation and Seifer's grin grew wider.  
  
"So could we maybe, go now?" Quistis interjected.  
  
As if on cue, Zell's stomach growled and he grinned sheepishly.

* * *

The restaurant that Seifer had chosen was large but rather laid-back. The waiter who seated them immediately took their drink orders and departed.   
  
The friends were seated around a large circular table. Squall was next to Rinoa who was next to Selphie. Irvine was beside her and Zell was next to him. This arrangement left Seifer and Quistis sitting next to one another. The seating chart had been planned in advance by Rinoa and Selphie. The two devious teenagers had threatened and cajoled the boys until they got their way. The three guys didn't really care where they sat so they had agreed to the girls' plan with little persuasion. Squall had, however, requested to be seated next to Rinoa. Selphie had agreed as long as she got to sit next to Irvine.  
  
Their plan had, thus far, gone off without a hitch.  
  
Their drinks arrived and they all placed their orders for dinner.  
  
Seifer, Squall, and Irvine all ordered steaks. Zell ordered two racks of ribs. The girls each got a salad and agreed to split some wings and fries.  
  
After the waiter had left to prepare their food Rinoa suggested a toast in honor of Seifer's accomplishment of graduating.  
  
"Seifer, ever since I met you that summer you have always been adamant about pursuing your dreams. I'm glad to congratulate you on a job well done and a dream fulfilled."  
  
She raised her drink and smiled at him. He smiled back and the group clinked their glasses together. Squall stood.  
  
"Seifer, you fight well and I'm glad that you made SeeD. I look forward to working with you."  
  
The commander quickly seated himself and the rest raised their glasses. Zell stood next.  
  
"Seifer, even though you were a bully and a jerk when we were little, I am glad that everything has worked out for you and I wish you luck in the future."  
  
Irvine stood up and continued the toasting.  
  
"Seif, I may be the only one at this table who can remember what a little terror you actually were when we were small. But, even clearer than that are my memories of you helping Matron make cookies, you helping Quisty get a kitten out of tree, you building a sand castle on the beach to show to Cid. The good memories. The times you were at your best. Those were the things that had the most influence on you, I think. That was the stuff that made you want to become a knight. I'm glad you accomplished your goal and made SeeD. I hope you continue to fight for what you want." With that Irvine raised his glass, nodded across the table to Seifer and drank.  
  
Selphie grinned and jumped from her seat as soon as Irvine was finished speaking.  
  
"Good job Seifer. I always knew you could do it. I'm proud of you."  
  
She did not restrain herself to merely raising her glass but instead she circled the table to where Seifer sat and hugged him from behind while he sat, shocked, in his chair.  
  
After Selphie had returned to her seat everyone's eyes turned to the blonde seated at Seifer's side.  
  
Quistis cleared her throat and stood up.  
  
"Seifer and Squall were always my two best students. Since Seifer was always striving to be the center of attention and Squall was always trying to avoid notice I decided that Squall needed more attention and Seifer needed less. This decision skewed my teaching and made it so that Seifer was punished for not being like Squall. Though some of what he got into trouble over was entirely his fault, a portion came from my biased vision of what his behavior should be. Although; sometimes he was incredibly rude and disruptive in class. I just want to take this opportunity to say congratulations to Seifer for beating the odds and for proving yourself to be as good as you ever boasted you were."  
  
The rest of the table erupted into cheers as Quistis took her seat beside Seifer.  
  
After the food had arrived the group turned their full attention to eating and spent very little time talking. When everyone had finished eating the friends decided to go their separate ways and that they would meet for breakfast the next morning like normal.  
  
As they left the restaurant Seifer pulled Quistis to the side and asked her to remain behind to talk. Selphie and Rinoa noticed the exchange and grinned before leaving with their boyfriends, dragging Zell behind them.  
  
As soon as everyone had left Seifer turned to Quistis.  
  
"Instructor, do you really think that I have proved myself?" His face was unreadable, tense, and solemn.  
  
She paused a moment before answering him.  
  
"Seifer, you were always a brilliant fighter, you just lacked the ability to follow orders. You have proved to me, since you've been back, that you can follow orders. You did excellently on your exam and I'm glad that you passed. Something about you is different and it is this change that is allowing you to excel. This time you are not pride bound and determined to be superior. You are willing to take suggestions and use them to your advantage. You don't have to do it all on your own. That's what is different."  
  
"You mean I'm turning into a pussy." He shot.  
  
"No, that's not what I said at all. I said you can accept help and that will help you in the future. The only thing that held you back before was your inability to take advice or orders."  
  
Seifer's face was pained as he answered.  
  
"When you serve a sorceress you learn quickly how to follow orders. If you don't obey she torments you. You have to obey."  
  
Quistis' eyes softened and she went to his side. She went to touch his arm and he jumped away.  
  
"Seifer, tell me what happened. Please tell me."  
  
His haunted green eyes raised a little and stared into her blue ones.  
  
"She would go into my mind and find my purest, happiest memories and twist them into something terrible. She wouldn't stop until I could no longer remember which was the true memory. I was afraid to sleep, to think, to do anything to try and stop her." His voice was quiet and slow as he answered.  
  
Silence reigned over the pair as they stood on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. Neither noticed that dark clouds had taken over the night sky and that a rumble of thunder was gradually getting louder as they stood together in the circle of light from a streetlight.  
  
As it started to rain neither moved from their places. Seifer's eyes were still locked on Quistis and she was surprised to discover that she had tears welling up in her eyes. As the rain got harder Seifer moved closer to Quistis and pulled her under the protective cover of his long trench coat.  
  
"I'm sorry. I never knew." She murmured into the dark.  
  
His voice was quiet and close as he whispered back.  
  
"I never told anyone."  
  
They stood in silence for a long time before Seifer began to move them towards shelter. They ducked into the doorway of Ma Dincht's house and he released her from his coat. She hadn't taken two steps away from him before he saw the wetness on her cheeks.  
  
"Quistis don't cry. It's okay. I'm okay. She's gone so she can't do that to anyone ever again."  
  
Her only response as her shoulders shaking as she began to sob.  
  
He quickly pulled her back into his arms and she clung to him as she sobbed on his chest. With his foot he knocked on the door. Ma Dincht opened it quickly and, seeing them standing there soaked, pulled them into the dry warmth of the house. She ushered them into the living room and handed Seifer two large towels.  
  
As he spread one on the couch and wrapped the other around Quistis, Ma Dincht moved back into the kitchen and began to make them hot chocolate.  
  
When she came back in Seifer was sitting on the couch with Quistis, wrapped in a towel, sitting in his lap while sobbing into his shoulder.  
  
"What's the matter?" She asked Seifer as she joined them on the couch.  
  
"She just had a rough day and I thought it would be best if we got out of the rain. I hope you don't mind that we came here."  
  
Ma shook her head and smiled. "You are always welcome here."  
  
She rubbed Quistis' back in a comforting manner and put their drinks on the table before she decided she should make herself scarce.  
  
After the kindly woman had left them alone Seifer took one of the mugs and held it for Quistis.  
  
"Here, drink this. It'll help you calm down."  
  
She drank a few sips and hid her face back in his chest.  
  
"Sorry about that."  
  
He shrugged, careful not to jostle her too much.  
  
"It's okay. Are you okay now? I didn't mean to make you cry."  
  
Her head came up and she nodded. He held the cup again as she drank some more and she thanked him.  
  
When she had stopped shivering he unwrapped her from the towel and she moved off his lap.  
  
"Are you ready to go back to Garden?" he asked as he stood up and stretched.  
  
She nodded, back in control of herself and calm.  
  
They took their leave of Ma Dincht and walked up the road to where the Garden was parked.  
  
When they reached the front gate Quistis stopped walking and stopped Seifer.  
  
"I just wanted to apologize for losing control of myself earlier. I didn't mean to start crying on you."  
  
He looked at her thoughtfully.  
  
"I think you need to lose control more often. It's not good for you to keep it all locked up like you do."  
  
She didn't say anything in response but they both knew that he was right.  
  
"You can always come to me when you need to lose control."  
  
She gave him a gentle smile and he grinned in return.  
  
He had done it. He had broken through the ice and gotten to her. And she had let him inside.  
  
He walked her back to her dorm and then returned to his own.  
  
After he had left her in her room Quistis stood leaning against her door.  
  
When had this happened? Why had he gotten past her defenses? Why didn't she care that he had?  
  
She was the Ice Queen. No one got inside her heart. It was too risky. She wouldn't allow it. But she had let him in.  
  
Why?

AN: I'm not sure I like how this chapter ended but... oh well

Please Review!

Next Chapter: Seifer and Quistis prepare to go on their mission in Timber.


	8. Midnight Train to Timber

**Midnight Train to Timber**  
  
The next day dawned bright and clear, no sign of the previous night's storm visible in the sky.  
  
Quistis and her friends, excluding Seifer, were seated at a table in the back of the cafeteria eating breakfast.  
  
They were only there for a little while before Seifer came in and, after retrieving his breakfast from the line, joined them at their table.  
  
As he sat down in the empty seat beside Quistis, left empty on Selphie and Rinoa's orders, the two blondes exchanged friendly smiles and she filled him in on the morning's conversation.  
  
Their pleasantness was instantly noticed by Selphie and Rinoa who grinned at each other and winked.  
  
The friends passed their morning in the Training Center, dueling. Everyone would take turns fighting each of the others.  
  
While one pair was dueling the others would sit around them on the rocks that were strewn around the complex.  
  
While Seifer and Squall were dueling Zell and Irvine were circling around them cheering. The girls seized this opportunity for some "girl talk" with Quistis.  
  
Selphie decided to break the ice.  
  
"So, Quisty, what did Seifer want to talk to you about last night?"  
  
Her composure didn't crack an inch. She wasn't called the Ice Queen for nothing.  
  
"Nothing important. Just wanted to ask me a question, that's all."  
  
Her blue eyes stayed locked onto the fighters that moved around the room. One in particular was constantly in her vision.  
  
She watched his white coat whip through the air in his wake as he dove under Squall's blade and rolled.  
  
How had he gotten himself so imbedded in her mind? How was she going to handle going undercover with him when she was so unsure of her feelings for him?  
  
Rinoa and Selphie had caught on to what Quistis was staring at and were silently congratulating themselves. They gave up on figuring out what he had asked her and contented themselves on watching her stare at Seifer.  
  
Squall's blue blade whizzed through the air above Seifer's head as the blonde ducked under the blade and rolled to the side. He jumped to his feet and swung at Squall's head but the SeeD commander had his blade in place to block.  
  
The audience watched the two experts fight with rapt attention. No one looked away as they fought their way around the room.  
  
Suddenly Squall tripped up on a tree root and Seifer seized his opportunity and quickly had his blade at Squall's neck.  
  
Irvine and Zell cheered while exchanging money. Rinoa went to Squall's side as Seifer shook his hand.  
  
"Good fight guys. That was awesome!" Selphie cried as she ran up to the two.  
  
"Yeah, awesome!" Zell agreed and he pocketed his winnings.  
  
"Ha ha, Irvine how much did you lose?" Seifer asked.  
  
Irvine flushed.  
  
"Um…200 gil."  
  
The rest of the group laughed and grinned at Zell.  
  
"So what are you gonna do with the money?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"Um, I think I'll take Sally out to dinner."  
  
Selphie and Rinoa turned on their boyfriends.  
  
"Why don't you take me to dinner?" they demanded.  
  
The other two guys glared at Zell, who grinned widely, and sheepishly apologized to their girlfriends.  
  
Just then the intercom came on and Nida's voice filled the room.  
  
"Would Seifer Almasy and Quistis Trepe please report to the headmaster's office immediately?"  
  
The two requested SeeDs stood up quickly and left the room.  
  
Their friends, excepting Selphie and Rinoa, looked at each other in confusion. The two girls were grinning widely at each other.

* * *

Seifer and Quistis saluted Cid as he opened his door and let them into his office. They waited near the door until he moved back behind his desk and signaled them to sit down.  
  
"You wanted to see us sir?" Quistis asked as she sat down.  
  
Cid nodded and leafed through some papers on his desk.  
  
"Um, as you two know, you are being dispatched to Timber to gather intelligence. You will be provided with a residence and your contact will meet you when you get to town to brief you on the situation. Other than that you are on your own. Infiltrate the base as soon as possible and start gathering information. You will be called back to Garden after you complete your mission."  
  
They nodded and he smiled at them.  
  
"And I took care of Seifer's death warrant so you should be okay as far as that goes."  
  
Seifer smirked and nodded.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
They stood to leave and were almost out the door before they heard Cid speak again.  
  
"The train will be here tonight for Timber."  
  
Quistis turned slightly back towards the office.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"The train to Timber leaves tonight at 10 pm."  
  
"We're leaving tonight?" Seifer asked.  
  
Cid looked confused for a moment and inspected a paper on his desk.  
  
"Yes, Seifer Almasy and Quistis Trepe dispatched to Timber. Two tickets on the 10 o'clock train," he read.

* * *

Selphie and Rinoa were waiting as Seifer and Quistis got off the elevator at the first floor.  
  
"So, what's going on?" Rinoa asked, seeing the surprised looks on their faces.  
  
"Cid assigned us an undercover mission in Timber and we're leaving tonight," Quistis answered.  
  
"Tonight? Really?" Selphie repeated.  
  
The two blondes nodded and moved down the stairs and headed for the dorms, Selphie and Rinoa trailing behind them.  
  
"We have to go pack but we'll meet you back in the cafeteria for supper, okay?" Quistis asked as they walked past the cafeteria.  
  
"Yeah, we'll go get the boys and meet you guys there in about an hour." Rinoa replied.  
  
Seifer nodded and he and Quistis turned into the hallway leading to the dorms.  
  
Rinoa and Selphie exchanged grins before running to the Training Center to find Squall, Irvine, and Zell.

* * *

Seifer's dorm was messy and unorganized as he crawled around on the floor looking for his spare set of boots. Everything else he would need was packed haphazardly in the large bag on his bed.  
  
It was on this scene that Quistis stuck her head in. Seifer's rear was stuck up in the air as he stuck his head under his bed, muttering about disappearing shoes. She smirked as she ran her gaze over his room.  
  
Clothes were strewn everywhere and his bed was unmade and his missing boots appeared to be hiding underneath a large pile of books that had fallen from their place on the book case when hit by what appeared to be a pizza box flattened so that it would fly like a frisbee.  
  
Quistis moved quietly into the room and began to sneak up on her distracted partner.  
  
She gave him a quick tap on the rear with her boot and stood out of the way as he thrashed to get his head out from under the bed.  
  
"What are you doing?" she questioned.  
  
"I'm looking for my boots," he explained.  
  
"Those?" she asked, pointing at the boots by the book case.  
  
He growled in frustration, snatched them up, and threw them in his bag.  
  
The mountain of things sticking out the top of the bag looked as if it would never all fit inside.  
  
Quistis sighed as she watched him sit on top of the pile and try to force it down into the bag so he could close it.  
  
"It might help if you folded some of those clothes."  
  
He just grunted with effort as he tried to zip the bag.  
  
Finally she couldn't stand it and shoved him off.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
She quickly pulled his things from the bag, folded the clothes and neatly stacked them back in the bag.  
  
When she was finished she turned to him with a smug look and gestured to the large space left in the bag.  
  
"Did you want to bring a pillow?"  
  
He looked at her work and whistled.  
  
"Nice job. I just didn't think it was going to take so long for you to get tired of me doing it so badly. My butt hurts. Those boots are steel toed and were killing me."  
  
She rolled her eyes and grabbed his pillow off the bed and tossed it into the bag. She zipped it and he carried it into the hall. She followed him and took up her own as they walked to the cafeteria.  
  
Their friends were already seated and eating when they arrived and they hurried through the line and sat down to eat.  
  
"So how long are you guys gonna be gone?" Rinoa asked as Seifer and Quistis dug into their food.  
  
Seifer shrugged and continued to devour his cheeseburger. Quistis finished a bite of her chicken sandwich and answered.  
  
"Cid said we are to gather intelligence that will help Timber gain independence, so I suppose that we will be there until Timber is free."  
  
"That could be a long time!" Selphie exclaimed.  
  
"We'll have to work out a way to come and visit you," Zell said as he ate his pile of hotdogs.  
  
The rest of the group nodded and Selphie and Rinoa grinned at each other.  
  
"So what time do you leave?" Selphie questioned.  
  
"10 o'clock tonight," Seifer responded.  
  
"We'll go with you and see you off," Rinoa declared with a smile.  
  
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Quistis said.  
  
"We don't know when we'll see you guys again so we might as well take what we can get."  
  
The rest of their friends backed her up, saying that they would be happy to come see them off.

* * *

"Seifer you might as well try it. We can't go around Timber as ourselves, Galbadia would be suspicious."  
  
Seifer scowled and looked distastefully at the thin glasses on the counter of the store.  
  
Grumbling the whole time, he slipped them on and looked at himself in the mirror.  
  
"Not bad, I guess it could be worse." He grimaced at his reflection before turning to Quistis. "And what are you doing for a disguise?"  
  
She removed her glasses and quickly braided her long blonde hair.  
  
"I'll get some new clothes and some contacts and that should do it. You could let your hair grow out a little and try growing a goatee," she suggested.  
  
He nodded hesitantly and turned back to the cashier.  
  
They paid for the glasses and got Quistis some contacts and left the store.  
  
"Where to now?" he asked as they walked up the sidewalk of Balamb.  
  
"There," she said, pointing up the road to a clothing store.  
  
They went in and began to peruse the selection.  
  
When they came out Seifer was in possession of a new trench coat, a black one this time, and several new outfits. Quistis also had a new wardrobe and had jokingly gotten herself a white trench coat to complement Seifer's.  
  
"Alright, now where?" Seifer questioned.  
  
"Um, we're meeting everyone in the train station in fifteen minutes," she replied, checking her watch.  
  
He nodded and they trekked up the sidewalk towards the train station. When they arrived their friends had not shown up so they sat down on one of the benches in the station.  
  
They had left the Garden after dinner and gone into town to go shopping. The rest of the group was bringing their bags to the station to meet them.  
  
It was now nine-thirty at night and their friends were meeting them before their train arrived at ten.  
  
When the group got to the station they found Seifer and Quistis sitting on a bench leaning over a file folder. Quistis would point out something on the pages inside and Seifer would nod or shake his head and point to something else on the page.  
  
Squall and Zell were carrying their bags and the rest were behind them holding packages.  
  
"What're those?" Seifer asked, indicating the boxes Selphie and Rinoa were holding.  
  
"Oh, we got you guys some housewarming presents," Rinoa explained.  
  
Selphie handed her parcel to Seifer and Rinoa gave hers to Quistis.  
  
Quistis slowly opened hers, looking puzzled.  
  
Seifer quickly ripped through the paper and tore open the box. Inside was a stereo with a CD player.  
  
He looked up with a smirk. The girls shrugged and grinned.  
  
"We thought you guys could use it at your house."  
  
Quistis' box contained a travel CD player and headphones and several of Quistis' favorite CDs.  
  
"Hey, we know ya'll aren't going to get along, so we figured we might as well give you each a way to listen to your own thing. And you both have to share both of them."  
  
Seifer mocked pouting and stuck his tongue out at the two girls.  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
Rinoa and Selphie grinned and Squall and Zell handed over Seifer and Quistis' bags.  
  
They gave their tickets to the conductor and the door opened to let them on board. The girls all hugged and the guys shook hands before the two blondes boarded the train and entered their cabin.  
  
"It's gonna be a few hours before we get there, so we might as well get some sleep," Quistis told him as they settled on the couch in the cabin.  
  
He nodded and moved to the bed that was attached to the wall.  
  
Each of them lay down and prepared to sleep. They were on their way to overthrow a dictatorial government.  
  
They would need all the rest they could get.

AN: I know the title says the train leaves at midnight but I was just borrowing the title from that old song 'Midnight Train to Georgia' (I don't own it.)

Please Review!

Next Chapter: Seifer and Quistis meet their contact and begin their jobs as spys!


	9. Secret Agent Man and Wife

**Secret Agent Man and Wife**  
  
The train cabin was completely dark as Seifer awoke and sat up on his bunk. He groaned and rubbed his eyes as he peered out the window into the night sky that was whizzing past the train.  
  
He heard Quistis' gentle breathing as she slept on the couch of the cabin. She was lying on her side facing the door. Her hand was lying under her pillow and he had a sneaking suspicion that her whip was in easy reach.  
  
He momentarily berated himself for not offering her the only bed but shrugged it off by telling himself that she was the one who told him to go lie down and that she had made no move to take the bed.  
  
He contented himself with his logic and moved on. He checked his watch and saw that the train should be arriving at the Timber station within a few minutes.  
  
Should he wake Quistis or would she be able to wake up when she felt the train slowing?  
  
He was unsure and it was his indecision that decided for him.  
  
Quistis woke suddenly and jumped to her feet from her prone position on the couch. She had her whip wrapped tightly around his chest and arms before he could move to defend himself.  
  
He let out a small noise of protest at this treatment and she finally noticed exactly who it was that she had tied up.  
  
He grinned at her surprised look and laughed. He stretched as much as possible inside the tight bonds and she flicked her wrist.  
  
The whip loosened instantly and he shrugged his shoulders to knock it off.  
  
"Nice to see you this morning," Seifer joked cheerfully.  
  
She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Sorry Seifer," she returned in a falsely apologetic tone.  
  
They grinned at each other and both jumped at the sound of the whistle that announced their arrival in Timber.  
  
It was one in the morning and the small town was totally asleep as the train rolled noisily into the station in the center of town.  
  
The few people bound for Timber disembarked and unloaded their baggage and the train continued on it journey.  
  
Quistis checked their information as Seifer gathered their luggage.  
  
"Lead the way," he said as he shouldered the bags.  
  
They walked silently to the town's only hotel and they used the identifications given to them for the mission to check in. They were registered as Mr. and Mrs. Smith.  
  
Once they got their things up to their room they unpacked and set their things up a little bit.  
  
By one-thirty they were both tired again and they wanted to go to sleep but, since they had registered as a married couple, their room only had one bed.  
  
Quistis looked uncertainly at Seifer as they stood on opposite sides of the bed.  
  
"Um…what are we gonna do?" Seifer questioned as he watched her frown in thought.  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"We're both exhausted and need sleep, we're just here for tonight, we're both mature adults, we can handle this."  
  
He nodded and bent down to undo his boots. She went into the bathroom and came back a few minutes later wearing a t-shirt and a pair of long pajama pants.  
  
When his blonde head reappeared above the edge of the bed she was brushing her hair at the mirror, attempting to get her blonde locks to straighten after being restrained in a braid all day.  
  
He removed his t-shirt and was unbuckling his pants when she turned back to the bed.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked him, looking startled.  
  
He looked confused for a minute.  
  
"Um…getting ready to go to bed."  
  
"And, why are you taking your pants off?" she questioned.  
  
"Well, I'm not sleeping with them on," he returned.  
  
"Well, I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you if you don't have pants on," she stated.  
  
They stared at each other. Neither blinked.  
  
Finally Seifer growled but reached into his bag for some pajama pants.  
  
"Do I have to wear a shirt too?" he asked sarcastically as he climbed into bed.  
  
She climbed in on the other side and they pulled the sheets over themselves.  
  
"Goodnight Seifer," Quistis said sweetly as she clicked the light off.

* * *

The next day they woke early and went down into town to meet their contact. According to their information they were to meet the guy outside the pet shop next to the train station.  
  
Seifer was leaning against the building when he heard something moving in the alley between the pet shop and the train station. He turned to look into the dark space and was surprised to see Zone and Watts removing themselves from the trash can that they had knocked over.  
  
"Oh brother," he groaned as he turned back to where Quistis was watching.  
  
She didn't look pleased at the turn of events and the two blondes glanced at each other before they went to help the two men extricate themselves.   
  
Zone yelped in surprise as he felt himself being pulled upward by a hand he couldn't see.  
  
Seifer set the confused man on his feet and helped Quistis pull Watts up. The two resistance members turned to thank their rescuers and grinned when they saw the two SeeDs.  
  
"We were supposed to meet you two here," Zone declared to the two surprised blondes.  
  
"You two are our contacts?" Seifer asked.  
  
They nodded and smiled to the frustrated SeeDs. Zone reached in his jacket pocket and removed a large envelope that had been folded. He handed it to Quistis, blushing the whole time. Seifer scowled at him and Zone immediately turned away.  
  
Quistis opened the package and dropped its contents into her hand. The envelope contained two IDs and a key. There was also a piece of paper in the envelope. She pulled it out as she handed the other items to Seifer.  
  
"It's the address of our new house and the location of the recruitment office in Timber," Quistis said as she read.  
  
Seifer examined their IDs and groaned. Quistis turned and frowned, "What's wrong?"  
  
"My undercover name is Kyle," he groaned.   
  
She laughed and he scowled at her.  
  
"Hey I wouldn't laugh yet, your name is Morgan. That's a guy's name."  
  
He tried hard not to wince when she slugged him in the arm before she stomped away.

* * *

The small house that the two teens would be living in lay down a small side road near the center of town.  
  
They were supposed to unpack and try and start gathering intelligence. Quistis had decided that she would stay at the house and get everything situated and Seifer would go try to join the Galbadian army as a way to gather information.  
  
Seifer rubbed his shoulder unconsciously, trying to rid himself of the pain his partner's blow had left, while he walked down the street toward the recruiting office.  
  
When he arrived at his destination he quickly filled out the required paperwork and was amused when he was immediately accepted. It appeared the Timber branch of the Galbadian army was desperate for new recruits.  
  
He quickly collected his new uniform and promised to report to basic training the next morning at 0500.  
  
When he arrived back at his new home he was surprised to see that Quistis had already unpacked. He noted with amusement that the stereo that their friends had given them was already hooked up. He heard her moving around in the back of the house and went to the bedroom to see her sorting her clothes into the single large dresser.  
  
"I get the top three drawers you can have the bottom three," she declared without turning around.  
  
He shrugged and joined her in unpacking his clothes.  
  
After they finished unpacking everything they went into their backyard and started sparring without a word.  
  
Tomorrow all the hard work would begin. They would need to be ready.

AN: Please Review!

Next Chapter: Seifer begins basic training and meets his fellow soldiers and Quistis joins a soldier's wives club.


	10. Basic Training

**Basic Training**  
  
Seifer's blade whirled through the air, slashing at the surprised young soldier in front of him.  
  
The young man Seifer was sparring with used a broadsword, which already put him at a disadvantage when compared to the lightning fast blade he was facing, and the young cadet had obviously expected to be the most gifted swordsman in the company. His day wasn't going the way he expected at all.  
  
The youth ducked quickly as the black blade swung towards his skull. The blow missed his head but the force of air it stirred up caused his cap to blow off of his head.  
  
There were no other gunbladers in this new batch of recruits so the drill sergeant paired Seifer with the closest weapon they could find.  
  
Seifer grinned as the boy in front of him regained his balance and brought his sword up to counter any attacks Seifer might throw at him.  
  
"That was better but you are still moving too slow," Seifer advised as he leaned on his blade.  
  
The red-headed youth scowled up at the taller man, ungrateful for the advice.  
  
He quickly straightened up and charged the smirking blonde.  
  
Seifer rolled his eyes as he swung his blade up to block the clumsy charge. His block knocked the other blade away and forced the swordsman off balance. The young man lost his footing and landed hard on his butt.  
  
Seifer sheathed Hyperion quickly and extended his hand to the fuming young man on the ground.  
  
The boy reluctantly took it and Seifer jerked him quickly to his feet.  
  
"You attacked too recklessly. You should have come in a little bit slower and been prepared to block at any time."  
  
The boy sighed and nodded slowly.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Seifer threw his head back in laughter.  
  
"I don't outrank you. You don't have to call me sir."  
  
The young man smiled a little as Seifer laughed.  
  
"What's your name?" the boy asked Seifer when the blonde finally stopped laughing.  
  
"Kyle," Seifer replied as he stuck his hand out to shake.  
  
"I'm Jason," the young red-head said, shaking Seifer's hand.

* * *

Quistis Trepe felt she had never been so bored in her life.   
  
As part of their plan to gather intelligence she and Seifer had decided that she should join the base's Army Wives Club. It would give her a reason to get into the fort and once she got inside she could roam around and try and find something useful.  
  
When Seifer had left that morning for basic training Quistis had hoped that she would have some time to finish straightening up the house.  
  
Her hopes were dashed when the doorbell rang shortly after seven o'clock.  
  
She had opened the door to see a crowd gathered on the porch and in the yard.  
  
"Excuse us for bothering you but we are the Army Wives Club. We heard from the C.O.'s wife that there was a new married recruit and we decided to come meet his wife."  
  
Quistis' surprised look lingered for less than a second before she found herself extending her hand to the woman.  
  
"It's nice to meet you."  
  
The lady before her beamed and Quistis was quickly pulled into a hug.  
  
Now, three hours later, the large group of women was crowded into the small living room of Seifer and Quistis' house. Quistis had no idea what they were talking about; her mind had drifted away from the conversation a long time ago.  
  
She hoped Seifer was having a more exciting day than she was. For her part she resolved to never take another undercover mission ever again.  
  
It was only the first day and she was bored out of her mind. And she was supposed to be around these women a lot. This wasn't looking good for her.  
  
Just before Quistis' patience dissolved entirely a distraction arrived in the form of a ringing phone from in the bedroom.  
  
Quistis quickly excused herself and ran into the room to answer it.  
  
"Hello?" she asked as she picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hey honey," Seifer answered, smiling.  
  
"Oh, it's you," Quistis replied.  
  
"Now is that anyway to talk to your loving husband?" Seifer asked mockingly.  
  
"What, do you want me to talk more like this 'Hey baby, I miss you. I want you to come home right now so we can make love in the shower,'" Quistis responded in a sultry voice.  
  
Seifer smirked.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds about right."  
  
She laughed.  
  
"You can just keep on dreaming," she scoffed.  
  
"Awww, shoot. Oh, well I had to try."  
  
When she stopped laughing she asked him how the training was going.  
  
"Oh, it's fine. Your class was a lot harder that the stuff they are teaching us."  
  
She blushed unconsciously.  
  
"Was that a complement?"  
  
"Um…I guess it was, wasn't it?"  
  
It was Quistis' turn to smirk.  
  
"Why, thank you honey. That was sweet of you."  
  
Now Seifer was blushing.  
  
Quistis decided to save him from having to respond by changing the subject.  
  
"So, why did you call anyway?"  
  
"Oh, well we are taking a break and everyone else was calling home so I decided I would fit in and call you," Seifer replied, glad he didn't have to respond to her teasing.  
  
"Ok, just don't blow our cover," Quistis responded quietly so that the women in the other room were unable to hear.  
  
"Of course not honey," Seifer said loudly.  
  
"Well, I gotta go now Kyle."  
  
"Ok, sweetie. Have a good day. I love you."  
  
His statement knocked her off guard for a moment and she sat silently before quietly whispering 'goodbye' and hanging up the phone.  
  
What was happening to her? This was a mission. That didn't mean anything. He was just acting. There was no reason for his statement to throw her for a loop like it had. She needed to get this under control.  
  
She knew that she cared for Seifer. She did not want him to be hurt or killed. But she also cared about her other friends and students that way. Did her feelings for Seifer extend beyond the feelings she had for the other important people in her life?  
  
And if so…when and where did these feelings come from?  
  
A noise from the other room made her snap back into the present and she sighed as she went to reenter the chaos that was the Army Wives Club meeting.

* * *

Seifer smirked as he hung up the phone with Quistis. He was sure his parting sentiment had shocked her. He wished he could have seen her face when she heard him. That would have made his day. Oh well. You can't have everything.  
  
A loud bell rang out over the compound and the soldiers all turned away from the phones and headed back to the training field.  
  
Seifer's sparring partner Jason was waiting when Seifer arrived at the field. The eager red-head unsheathed his sword quickly and dropped into his stance.  
  
Seifer smirked and slowly pulled out Hyperion. He extended it out towards Jason and held it steady with the flat of the blade parallel to the ground. His other hand came up and signaled Jason to attack. The youth ran at Seifer and slashed. Seifer parried it easily and moved to slash at Jason's momentarily unprotected flank. He was pleasantly surprised when the swinging silver broadsword flashed around and blocked his blade.  
  
"Very good," Seifer offered.  
  
Jason responded with a cocky smirk that rivaled the one on his partner's face.  
  
"Let's see if you can do it again," Seifer challenged as he backed away and dropped back into his stance.

Next Chapter: Seifer and Quistis do some nighttime sneaking around.

AN: Please Review!

AN2: I know it is short but I felt bad about not posting anything for such a long time but I promise next time the update will be longer.


	11. In Sickness and in Health

**In Sickness and in Health**  
  
Seifer grimaced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he ran his hand across his chin. The goatee he was growing to disguise himself was coming along nicely but was very itchy. He had also been persuaded to let his normally cropped hair grow out some. All in all, the disguise worked. The change in hairstyle, coupled with the goatee and thin glasses made him look different enough that no one glanced at him twice. No one dreamed that the 'rookie' army officer was really a SeeD trained combat machine, ready to deal out death at a moments notice.  
  
Seifer turned from his perusal of his reflection when he heard a groan from the bedroom. Quistis was lying in bed, tossing and turning in her sleep. She groaned loudly again and her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach. Seifer frowned in concern and moved quickly to the bedside. His cool hands went to her forehead and wrist and he scowled. She was burning up and her pulse was racing. She groaned again and curled up into a ball under the sheets. Seifer's hands went to her shoulders and he shook her gently. When she didn't respond he shook her harder.  
  
Her blue eyes snapped open as she sat up and gasped for breath. He steadied her and peered at her in concern. One hand rested on her heaving shoulders and the other gently cupped her cheek.  
  
"Are you okay?" he questioned as she looked over at him.  
  
She started to nod but thought better of it when spots danced before her vision and the room shook. Instead she just flopped back into the bed. Just the simple effort of sitting up left her breathless.  
  
"I'm taking you to the doctor. Try to get dressed," he ordered her.  
  
She would have argued if she wasn't so nauseous.   
  
It was only after she was dressed and ready that Seifer realized that he had no car and he could not really make an unconscious woman walk downtown to go to the doctor's office.  
  
With a sigh he wrapped Quistis' arms around his neck and pulled her onto his back. He hooked his arms under her knees and set off down the road. If he had known that he was mirroring Squall's actions when Rinoa was comatose he would have had second thoughts about carrying the unconscious woman across town. His only defense would be that he hadn't carried her across two continents like his rival had done.  
  
Once they arrived at the doctor's office the self-conscious SeeD quickly deposited his sleeping partner in a chair and went to talk to the doctor. The check up didn't take long and when completed the doctor proclaimed that Quistis Trepe, slayer of a sorceress, savior of the world, professional mercenary, and all around superhuman woman, had been floored by a bad case of the flu.  
  
If Quistis hadn't been glaring at him from the examination table Seifer would have been laughing. It wasn't that he was glad she was sick it was just heartening to know that there was something that could beat Quistis Trepe. She needed to be weakened sometimes. This would be good for her. It proved that she was still human.  
  
When they left the office Quistis insisted that she was well enough to walk herself back home. Seifer reluctantly let her walk, knowing how stubborn she was. He did, however, keep one hand on her arm to steady her. She kept trying to jerk her arm away but that just made the dizziness worse. They had barely gone two blocks before Quistis' weakened legs deserted her. As her knees gave out Seifer scooped her up before she could hit the ground and continued the trek back to their house.  
  
Their arrival back at their house was heralded by Quistis' loud protests that she was capable of taking care of herself and that Seifer put her down. He objected to both arguments and insisted on carrying her and on taking care of her. She was fighting him every step of the way.  
  
He deposited her gently in the bed but she was determined to get up so he tied her down using her own whip. Her shrieks of protest could be heard from down the block. Sighing, Seifer gagged her with a handkerchief.  
  
"I didn't want to do that, you know. You're just being stubborn. You need to rest. I'll go make you some soup," he said as he walked to the kitchen, "And you will eat it or I will feed it to you," he finished, poking his head back into the bedroom.   
  
Her blue eyes widened and muffled cursing could be heard from behind the gag.

* * *

Rinoa exchanged glances with Squall as they walked up the street in Timber. Cid had given them permission to visit Quistis and Seifer as long as they were discreet about it. They were walking down the road their friends lived on, looking for the house, when they heard screams coming from a home further down. The screams were quickly silenced and they continued walking.

* * *

Seifer slowly and cautiously removed the gag from Quistis' mouth, waiting for her to scream at him again. Her azure eyes were glaring at him in anger but she didn't make any vocal protests. He warily placed the handkerchief on the nightstand as he reached for the spoon that rested in the bowl of soup. The instant his fingers touched the spoon she let out a loud shriek. He jerked in surprise, dropping the spoon.

* * *

Squall and Rinoa were on the front porch of their friends' house when they heard the scream echo from inside. Squall reared back and kicked the door in and Rinoa concentrated on a spell, ready to defend her friends. The scene that greeted them could not have shocked them more.  
  
Seifer, after dropping the spoon, snatched to gag from the nightstand and shoved it back in Quistis' mouth.  
  
So, when Squall and Rinoa came in, Seifer was sitting on the side of the bed, on which Quistis was tied up with her whip while gagged.  
  
"Seifer Almasy! What do you think you are doing? Let her go, right now!" Rinoa demanded.  
  
Quistis began nodding feverishly, all the while glaring at Seifer angrily. Squall was still dazed, staring at the two.   
  
Seifer's blonde head whipped around when he heard the young sorceress' voice command him to release Quistis.  
  
"Commander Puberty? Rinoa? What are you two doing here?" he asked.  
  
"What are you doing to Quisty? Why is she tied up and gagged?" Rinoa responded.  
  
Seifer looked back down at his 'patient' who was struggling to free herself from the whip.  
  
"Oh, she's got the flu but doesn't want to rest or eat her soup," Seifer explained to the confused sorceress and her boyfriend.  
  
Rinoa's caring brown eyes immediately filled with worry.  
  
"Aww is she okay?" she asked as she moved to the bedside.  
  
"She will be in a few days, if she rests," Seifer said glaring at Quistis when he came to the end of the statement.  
  
Quistis just glared right back and rolled her eyes when Rinoa nodded agreement with Seifer. Squall came over slowly and looked down on his captured friend.  
  
"Sorry Quistis, but I agree with them," he stated. Seifer's smug smirk leapt to his face and Rinoa smiled. If Quistis had been able to move Squall would have been running for his life. The look in her eyes showed him that.  
  
"I do, however, think that they're being a bit excessive," he continued. Rinoa frowned at him instantly and Seifer groaned. Quistis began nodding again. Seifer sighed and snatched the gag from her mouth. Immediately, the room filled with Quistis' voice.  
  
"HOW DARE YOU?!?!?! LET ME GO THIS INSTANT! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! AS SOON AS –," Quistis' tirade was cut off as Squall forced the gag back into her mouth.  
  
"Now now Quisty, that is no way for you to talk to him. Seifer is just trying to help you feel better faster," the SeeD commander admonished the struggling woman.  
  
If it was possible Quistis' face got even redder and a vein on her forehead began to throb. Seifer swallowed hard and took a deep breath. His hand cautiously reached to where the barbs of the Save the Queen were secured. He quickly released them and cringed. Quistis' hands were instantly around his throat, choking him. Her momentum threw them both backwards, off the bed. She landed on top of him, still grasping his throat tightly.  
  
Rinoa gasped and grabbed Quistis around the waist, trying to pull her off the gasping ex-knight. Squall reached under Seifer's shoulders and jerked him away by his coat. Rinoa managed to get Quistis back on the bed and Squall helped Seifer to his feet.  
  
"Quistis, what is going on with you?" Rinoa questioned as she put a stop spell on the sick instructor.  
  
Quistis, obviously, couldn't answer but she seemed to calm down. Rinoa removed the spell but made sure that Squall was between Quistis and Seifer before doing so. Quistis didn't move just laid there, breathing heavily. Rinoa reached forward and placed her hand on the blonde woman's forehead.  
  
"Hyne! She's burning up. Seifer, go get a cold, wet cloth from the kitchen," Rinoa ordered.  
  
The blonde quickly followed her directions and was swiftly beside the bed with the cloth. Rinoa took it and began to gently wash her friend's face. Quistis' eyes had drifted closed and everyone was fairly sure she was asleep. Squall, wanting to be helpful and to avoid Rinoa ordering him around, went into the kitchen and came back with a large bowl of cool water and a bottle of pills that had come from the doctor's office. He deposited them on the nightstand by Rinoa's elbow and quickly retreated. She gave him a smile of thanks and Seifer rolled his eyes at them.  
  
"So, Seifer why are you trying so hard to help Quistis all of a sudden? Before you wouldn't have cared at all," Squall questioned his rival.  
  
Seifer considered Squall's question for a long moment. He sat, staring at the floor, deep in thought.  
  
"She's my friend and my partner. This mission might take a long time so it just seems like a good idea to get in the habit of helping each other out. She's sick and way too stubborn to actually take the time to get better so I thought I should help her get better. Even if she doesn't want my help…" his voice drifted off and he looked back up at Squall.  
  
"Is that a good enough answer for you?"  
  
Squall nodded and gave a small smile.  
  
"You've changed, Seifer."

AN: I know this isn't what I said was going to happen in this chapter but I really couldn't think of anything to write for that so I wrote this instead.

Next Chapter: Seifer and Quistis do some nighttime sneaking around.


	12. Healing

**Healing**

Quistis Trepe slowly opened her blue eyes. Where was she? What day was it? What time was it? What or who was in her bed? She rolled slowly onto her side. Seifer was lying beside her, sleeping soundly. That answered that question. Now for the other ones. The clock resting on the nightstand answered another and her slowly returning memory revealed the rest.

She was in Timber, undercover with Seifer. She had had the flu. He had tied her up. Squall and Rinoa had been here. Where were they now?

She sat up slowly, still a little dizzy. She hadn't gotten far off the mattress before a hand gently grasped her elbow.

"Lie back down, you're still weak," Seifer's sleepy voice requested behind her. His hand slowly pulled her back down onto the bed and his arm went around her shoulders to keep her from escaping.

Quistis would never admit it aloud, and it was probably just because of the medicine, but she thought Seifer's voice was very sexy when he was just waking up. And falling asleep in his arms wasn't a bad way to spend the night either, she thought to herself as consciousness left her.

Seifer smiled to himself as he felt Quistis' body relax into his as she drifted off to sleep.

The next day dawned cloudy and rainy. The inhabitants of the sleepy town of Timber were all still in bed. It was too dreary a day to be doing anything but lying in bed.

Seifer agreed. He was content to lie in bed all day, only leaving to eat or answer the call of nature.

His 'wife,' however, did not agree. She was restless and bored as she lay in bed. Seifer was no help. He just kept rolling over and placing his pillow over his head. She quickly grew tired of this and snatched it from him. He retaliated by grabbing hers from her side of the bed and swinging it at her.

The pillow war began.

Quistis swung her weapon at his head. It connected and he fell backwards onto his back. She seized the opportunity and lunged on him, bringing the pillow down onto his face. He didn't have enough room to swing his pillow so he dropped it and began tickling her. She laughed and tried to squirm out of the way. He wouldn't let her go so she just began smashing the pillow harder into his face. Sometime during the fighting the seam of the pillow burst and feathers filled the air. Quistis dropped her useless weapon and began to retaliate the tickling. They rolled around the room, tickling and laughing loudly. They finally came to a stop when Quistis managed to get Seifer's back pinned against the wall. Her long fingers didn't let up, just continually poked at his sides. He was squirming and trying to get his hands close enough to her sides to retaliate but she was constantly blocking. At last he settled for tackling her to the ground to get away. They flew backward and he wrapped his arms around her to soften their landing.

She had been sick after all. He didn't want her to hurt herself.

When they landed Quistis' energy seemed to desert her and she collapsed flat on her back, breathing heavily. He was surprised for a moment when she didn't instantly resume their tickle fight and pulled himself up onto his elbows to look down at her. Her eyes were closed and she had started panting for breath.

Seifer's green eyes were filled with worry as he pulled himself to his feet and lifted her into his arms. He carried her to the bed and deposited her gently. He tucked her under the covers and brushed some hair from her face. Their fight had caused the clip to come loose and her long hair was hanging free.

Her eyes opened slowly and she looked up at him. Seifer found himself blushing under her gaze but he couldn't force himself to look away.

"Thank you Seifer, for taking care of me," Quistis murmured quietly as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes drifted closed again as she lost her struggle to stay awake.

Seifer sat in silent contemplation of the sleeping woman for a long time. What was happening to him? Why did he care so much for her? He knew that she was his friend. They were partners. It was normal for him to care this much. Right?

Was it normal for him to want to keep her safe from harm? Yes. That was part of being friends.

But was it normal to feel so deeply about it? Seifer knew without a doubt that anyone who hurt Quistis would experience suffering at his hands. He would not stand for her being harmed. No one would hurt her while he drew breath. And he would make sure that she didn't harm herself. He would take care of her, whether she wanted him to or not.

His vigil was broken by a sudden knock on the door. He stood and quickly went to answer it.

Squall and Rinoa stood on the other side of the door, holding a large paper bag.

"We brought lunch," Rinoa said with a smile as Seifer let them in.

Seifer nodded his thanks and led the way into the kitchen.

"So, how's Quistis? Feeling any better?" Squall asked as he began to pull the cartons of food out of the bag.

Seifer sat down at the table and started distributing the food.

"She was up for a while earlier but she's sleeping now," he answered as he handed a plate of food to Rinoa.

Squall finished dividing the food and they sat down. The meal progressed in silence as everyone dug into their food.

"So where did you guys go last night?" Seifer asked around a bite of his sandwich.

"We just went out to eat and then back to the hotel after you two fell asleep," Squall answered.

Seifer was about to respond when he heard Quistis stir in the bedroom. Rinoa got to her feet, about to go check on her friend, but Seifer beat her to it. He waved her back to the table as he walked into the bedroom. Squall and Rinoa exchanged glances and a grin broke out on Rinoa's face.

Seifer moved quickly to the bedside and took one of Quistis' hands. Her blue eyes opened slowly and she looked up at him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, unconsciously rubbing his thumb in circles on the back of her hand.

She shook her head quickly before answering, "No spots in my head, so I think I'm doing better."

He smiled at her answer. A genuine smile, not a smirk or a sneer like she normally saw on his face. She looked momentarily surprised at his expression before returning the smile.

She stretched and yawned as she sat up in the bed. His hand was instantly on her lower back to steady her.

"You just take it easy here, I'll go get you some food," he ordered as he released her hand and moved back to the kitchen.

As soon as he got out the door Quistis rolled her eyes and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Rinoa and Squall stopped their conversation the second Seifer walked through the door into the kitchen.

"Did she wake up?" Rinoa asked as Seifer came to the table.

He nodded and picked up the plate of food that had been brought for Quistis. Just as he was turning back toward the bedroom Quistis walked into the kitchen. She was pale and walking slowly but she was steady on her feet. Seifer quickly put the food down and bolted to her side.

"What's wrong with you? Why don't you listen to me?" he demanded, scowling at her.

She rolled her eyes again, "Seifer, I'm fine. I can't stay in bed anymore. It's making me crazy."

His arm had wound around her waist as he helped her to the table. Their progress was slow but sure as he stayed beside her. Finally, they got to the table where Squall and Rinoa sat watching them trek across the room.

The second they arrived at the table Seifer pulled the chair out for her and she sat down. He moved her plate so that it was in front of her and went to get her some utensils. She looked tired but determined as he handed her the fork and she started eating. It didn't matter to her that she had been lying in bed sick for days. She wasn't going to be confined any longer.

Once he saw that she was making progress on her food he sat down beside her and resumed eating his own lunch, glancing up at her every few seconds to ensure himself that she was still okay.

By the time she was finished eating he wasn't even bothering to look away. His green eyes stayed locked on her constantly. Quistis glanced up at him occasionally but he never flinched. Rinoa noticed the looks the two were exchanging and smiled to herself. As soon as she was finished she grabbed Squall's hand and pulled him from the kitchen. Squall, who wasn't finished with his meal, was forced to snatch his remaining chicken leg off his plate before he was yanked out of the kitchen.

Quistis finished eating and slowly put down her fork. Seifer's eyes were tracking her every motion, waiting for a sign that she was feeling worse. His hands were unconsciously clenched under the table, waiting for the slightest sign that she needed him.

Quistis, for her part, was tired and achy and wanted to go back to bed and rest. She was determined not to show it, however. She would sit there for the rest of her life before she would get up and accept sympathy.

Seifer, however, knew what she was thinking and anticipated her response. Instead of letting her sit there, stubbornly refusing to move, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her, kicking, into the living room. He deposited her gently on the couch and seated himself next to her. Rinoa, who was seated in Squall's lap, hurriedly separated her lips from his and ended up throwing herself out of the chair Squall was sitting in. She landed hard on the floor with an inelegant thud and a wince. Squall leaned forward in his seat quickly to check on her.

"Hey, you guys," Seifer drawled with a smirk, "We didn't interrupt anything did we?"

Rinoa's face turned scarlet instantly. Squall blushed and reached down to help his girlfriend up. She got to her feet and he pulled her into his lap again. Squall looked nervous, but refrained from acknowledging his feelings in front of Seifer and Quistis. He was getting better but it was still slow going.

Rinoa, surprised that Squall was pulling her back to him, smiled and settled herself back into his lap. Her head rested on his chest and her arms wound themselves around his waist.

Quistis was surprised to see Squall pull Rinoa back to him. Before he met Rinoa he would have pushed whoever was responsible for embarrassing him away and instantly fought with Seifer. She was changing him. It was becoming more apparent every day.

Seifer found himself watching Quistis' face intently. He was praying to Hyne that he didn't see a flash of disappointment cross her face. He hoped desperately that she was not still attracted to Squall, her earlier denial of feelings for Squall not even crossing Seifer's mind. His heart melted gratefully as he watched the pure joy cross over her face.

She wasn't still in love with Squall. She was genuinely happy for her friends. She was sincere about helping Squall and Rinoa with their relationship. She wanted them to be happy together. He had a chance with her.

Wait a minute.

Since when did he, Seifer Almasy, want a chance to be with Quistis Trepe, the bookish instructor that had made his education a living nightmare? He would admit that she was a lot more fun and nicer than he had initially thought, and every male with eyes knew that she was gorgeous. But when, for him, had it gone beyond just acknowledging that beauty and intelligence and personality to actively seeking it out on a daily basis? He knew for a fact that he was becoming used to waking up next to her. Once they were done with this mission things would go back to the way they were before. They would go back to being casual friends. He didn't know if he wanted that. He enjoyed having her to himself like he did on this mission. He didn't want to go back to only seeing her at meals when they went back to Garden.

What did all this mean?

Before he could think any more about his feelings the doorbell rang. Seifer and Quistis exchanged questioning looks and she shrugged. Squall and Rinoa watched Seifer, waiting for instructions.

"You guys can stay in here, just remember that me and Quis are supposed to be married so don't say anything that might raise their suspicions," Seifer directed as he moved off the couch and towards the front door.

"And our names are Kyle and Morgan," Quistis added.

Seifer opened the door to find a short, red-headed woman standing there, leading a large group of other women.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"We heard Morgan was sick and decided to come and visit. Are you Kyle?" the lead woman asked, extending her hand to shake.

Seifer took her hand with a nod.

"Yeah that's me," he said as he moved out of the doorway.

The pack of women trooped inside the house, Seifer leading the way to the living room. Squall's eyes widened momentarily at the sight of the large crowd and Quistis smothered a groan. Rinoa saw her ill friend's expression and began to giggle.

"Morgan, how come you didn't tell us how handsome your husband was? We would have stayed and visited until he got home from training. You were holding out on us," the lead woman said as the entered the room.

Seifer's back was to the woman so she couldn't see how his face instantly turned scarlet. Quistis could, however, and she smiled fondly up at him. Trying to make it easier for him, she extended her hand to him from her seat on the couch and pulled him down to sit beside her. She intertwined her fingers with his and kissed him affectionately on the cheek.

"I don't like to share," Quistis responded simply, gazing up at Seifer. Seifer lowered his gaze to her and smirked a little. Falling into his role as loving husband he leaned down quickly and gave her a quick peck on her lips. Meaning it just to be a quick kiss, he was shocked when her free hand moved across his chest and found the back of his neck, holding him in the kiss. Her lips pressed a little firmer against his, deepening the kiss slightly. After what seemed like a small eternity to Seifer Quistis pulled back slowly. She didn't meet his eyes but just leaned her head against his chest, breathing hard.

Ignoring the adoring looks the women were giving them and the shocked and amazed looks on Squall and Rinoa's faces, Seifer tilted Quistis' head back up to meet his gaze.

"Are you okay, do you need to go lie back down?" he questioned in a low voice.

Her face was pale and she looked shaken as she nodded. His arms went around her and he lifted her from the couch. He excused himself quickly and carried his 'wife' to their bedroom. Behind him, he heard Rinoa take control of the conversation in the living room.

He deposited her gently into the bed and tucked her in.

"I guess you tried to do too much today," he said as he brushed some hair back from her face.

She nodded, staring at him. He sighed and turned to leave.

"I guess I should get back to our guests," he said reluctantly.

He was almost out the door before her voice stopped him.

"Aren't you angry with me?"

He turned to look at her.

"Angry? Why would I be angry?"

She looked at him, confused.

"I kissed you, remember?"

"I kissed you first," he countered.

She blushed but didn't argue. He returned to the bedside and sat down on the edge. She took his hand and squeezed gently. He smiled down at her and shook his head, ruefully.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked her gently.

She didn't respond, choosing instead to bury her face in her pillow. He rolled his eyes and rubbed her back gently. She rolled over slowly to face him and took a deep breath before beginning to speak.

"I kissed you…" she paused before continuing, "because I wanted to," she finished in a rush as she ducked back towards her pillow.

Seifer's lungs emptied in a gasp and his green eyes shot wide open. He stared down at her in wonder, stunned.

"And why did you want to?" he asked hesitantly.

Quistis rolled her eyes, face still buried in the pillow. Instead of answering with words she just rolled back onto her back and sat up. Her arms went around his neck and her lips stopped a hair width away from his. She leaned forward slightly and they touched. Her long fingers weaved their way into his hair, tugging him gently towards her. He complied, wrapping his arms around her waist as he deepened the kiss. His lips parted slightly for air and her tongue dove in the gap. He was surprised but pleased at the change and took his cue from her.

When they finally parted her head dropped down onto his chest. She could feel his heart pounding as her temple rested on his torso. She was panting for breath again and he berated himself silently. Why did he let his hormones take over? She was sick. She needed rest, not to be kissed senseless.

Though he thought he had done a fairly good job of kissing her senseless. Her blue eyes were closed and there was a gentle smile on her face.

"So, does that mean that you like me too?" Seifer asked quietly, smirk firmly in place.

Quistis jumped in surprise at his question. Her blonde head came up and she looked him in the eyes. His gaze never wavered. Finally, after minutes of just staring at him, she blinked.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked breathlessly. Her blue eyes never left his face as she waited for his answer.

Seifer took a deep breath to steady himself before he responded. Quistis was staring at him, confused.

Was cocky Seifer Almasy actually nervous? Did that mean that he liked her or that he was just trying to think of a way to let her down easy?

Seifer's heart was pounding in his ears. He couldn't remember being this nervous before in his life. What if she had just been acting? They were undercover. But if she was just acting why had she kissed him again in here? Maybe she really did like him too.

Mustering his courage, he gathered her hands in his and squeezed gently. He glanced up to look into her eyes and decided to go for it.

"Quis, I know this is kind of sudden and all but…" his words were cut off as she jumped on him. He fell backwards onto his back, Quistis pressed against his chest, pressing feverish kisses onto his lips. His arms wrapped themselves tightly around her waist, holding her to him. He caught her lips with his and quickly slipped his tongue in. She moaned into his mouth and he couldn't help but smile against her mouth. He finally broke the kiss, breathing heavily.

"Wow, is that what's gonna happen every time I try and tell you that I'm falling for you?" he asked, smirking the whole time.

She slugged him in the arm, smiling.

"I thought you we're going to tell me that you didn't like me like that," she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him.

He gaped down at her, stunned.

"You think I'm some kind of idiot or something?" he questioned in disbelief. "Why would I pass up someone like you?"

She smiled up at him playfully, "You been doing a pretty good job of it the last few years."

His hand went to his heart, "Ouch that hurts. Besides, you can't tell me that if I had told you that I was falling in love with you a few years ago that you wouldn't have killed me," he responded, grinning.

She nodded with a grin, "Oh definitely. I would never have taken you back then. You needed to be humbled a little more," she said thoughtlessly.

Seifer's grin slid off his face as he was plunged back to the time of his servitude under the sorceress. Quistis winced as his hands tightened around hers and his eyes glazed over as he lost himself in his memories. She managed to get one of her hands free and she gently stroked his face.

"Seifer," she whispered, "Come back to me. She's gone. She can't hurt you anymore." Her hand guided his chin to point his blank, unseeing green eyes to look straight into hers. His gaze never wavered from her but he was unresponsive, dully staring straight at her. She gently slapped her fingers against his cheek, willing him to snap out of it. When that didn't work she slapped him a little bit harder. His eyes snapped back into focus and he inhaled sharply. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

"I'm so sorry Seifer. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry," she chanted as she hugged him. His arms went around her and hugged her back.

There was a tentative knock on the door and Seifer pulled out of the hug. Quistis lowered herself back into the bed and pulled the sheets over her body. Seifer answered the door and let Rinoa inside. The caring sorceress went immediately to the bedside and knelt down beside her friend.

"Are you okay? You guys were taking so long we thought something was really wrong."

Quistis smiled gently at her friend and shook her head, "I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy."

Rinoa smirked, "Yeah, kissing Seifer tends to make people dizzy."

Seifer had the decency to blush at his ex-girlfriend's statement and the girls laughed. Quistis stretched her hand out to him and he came back to the bedside and sat on the edge. His thumb began to rub circles on the back of her hand unconsciously.

"Well," Quistis began to explain their actions in the living room, "We have to pretend to be married and…"

Seifer interrupted, "Quis, what happened to your hands?" He was staring at the red marks left on her hands when he had squeezed them. She didn't answer, just tried to tug her hands away from him. He automatically tightened his grip to hold onto them and she winced.

"Did I do this?" he asked her, loosening his hold but not letting go.

Rinoa started, surprised. Her gaze traveled between Quistis and Seifer. She had known Seifer for a long time; she knew he would never hurt Quistis on purpose. Well, she amended mentally, he might have in the past but the new Seifer would cut off his own hand before he hurt Quistis.

Quistis looked into Seifer's eyes and nodded slowly, "You didn't know what you were doing though Seifer. You weren't yourself. I know you would never hurt me on purpose," she stated as he scowled.

"But…" he tried to argue but she was quick to cut him off.

"No buts, you didn't mean to hurt me and that's the end of it," she declared forcefully.

Seifer had been on the receiving end of her determined look enough to know that he had no hope of winning so he settled for kissing each of the red marks on her hands.

Rinoa was watching the exchange with a stunned smile on her face. Quistis noticed Rinoa staring out of the corner of her eye and nudged Seifer with her shoulder. He reluctantly pulled away from her hands but pulled her to rest against his chest.

"Maybe ya'll have something you want to tell me?" Rinoa suggested with a grin at her friends.

AN: lol That's twice they haven't gone sneaking around at night. Maybe someday they will. I don't know yet.

AN2: I apologize profusely for the long delay in updating. This has been written for a while but I have not had internet access for the last two weeks and the one time I had access I was in a friend's dorm room and didn't have the disk with me to post this chapter.

Please review!

Next Chapter:Seifer gets sent on his first mission in the Timber Army. Quistis uses this chance to sneak around the empty base (Finally someone will sneak around!!! YAY for me).


	13. Unexpected Developments

**Unexpected Developments  
**  
The pre-dawn mist hung heavy in the air, clouding Quistis' vision as she walked slowly down the road. The base was emptied, the troops gone to fight Galbadia's battles. Timber was left defenseless. Every man of the Timber Army had gone to supplement the Galbadian Army. The small town 'hicks' would do all the dying to spare the lives of Galbadia's forces. 

Quistis forced down a wave of fear for Seifer. He could take care of himself. He was a SeeD. More importantly, she had been his instructor. He would be fine.

The base was unnaturally silent as the SeeD walked slowly through the shrouding mist. She turned a corner and the main administration building came into sight. Around the back of it she found a window that could easily be pried open. The hard part was getting to it. She stared at the window for a long moment, thinking hard.

A squeaking noise was her only warning that someone was coming. Noiselessly she ran quickly back towards the side of the building. She flattened herself against the building and waited. The squeaking noise moved into the alley behind the building and stopped for a few tense moments before turning and going back the way it had come.

When she was sure that whoever had come was now gone, Quistis poked her head out cautiously. No one was there. She walked out into the alley and smiled as she saw the newly added trash can that had been placed right under the window. The garbage man had just made her job a lot easier.

Scaling the trash can took only a second. She tried the window, it was open. She smirked. These small towns were so trusting.

A minute later she was in. The darkness was complete around her. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get her eyes to adjust. Slowly shapes became discernable. She was in a closet. She poked her head out quickly. She was down the hall from the CO's office. It was time for her to get to work.

* * *

Seifer sighed as he stared out the window of the train. The Timber forces had moved out early that morning. Seifer had hated dragging himself out of bed that morning, away from Quistis' warmth. She had just started stirring when he had left their house.

It was now three weeks after Squall and Rinoa had visited them. Quistis had gotten over her flu a few days after they had left. After Seifer had confessed his feelings for her he had found that she had become a much more compliant patient. She had also become a big fan of taking naps in the afternoon, with Seifer as her pillow, to rest after taking her medicine.

The train jolted suddenly, snapping Seifer out of his thoughts. The train slowed down and Seifer stood up. His hand automatically reached his thigh, where Hyperion was in its holster. He checked the chamber and safety. Around him, his fellow soldiers were doing the same thing, or trying to. For many of them this was the first time they had been ordered into battle. They were nervous and frightened. Many were already sweating and their hands were shaking.

Seifer's attention was drawn to his sparring partner, Jason, who was standing beside him. The youth was shaking as he checked his equipment. Seifer, pitying the younger man, put a steadying hand on his shoulder and shook the red headed man.

"Calm down. It'll all be fine."

"I've never killed anyone before," the boy confessed in a whisper, glancing up at Seifer.

Seifer frowned and sighed. Eighteen was too young to lose your innocence. No one should have to choose between dying and killing when they were only eighteen. The irony of the situation was that he had been trained to kill from the time he was only eight years old.

The train jerked to a halt and the Timber troops lined up to exit the boxcar. A Galbadian officer was waiting for them as they disembarked.

"Follow me," he ordered as the last trooper jumped off the train. The Timber soldiers obediently trailed after him. They were herded into lines in a large open field. The Galbadian officer ordered them into ranks as the Galbadian forces moved into rows behind them.

Glancing around, Seifer realized with a sinking feeling where exactly the train had carried them. There was no way he would not recognize his home. The island of Balamb's sea breeze was unforgettable. He had lived there since he was eight years old. He could never forget the smell of the air that blew in from the coast.

It seemed he was in over his head. If he refused to fight the Galbadians would discover him. If he fought, he would hurt Balamb SeeDs. That was something he refused to do. He had resolved when he came back that he would never hurt them again.

The base was completely silent as the SeeD jimmied the door of the CO's office. The small room was cluttered and messy. Files were strewn around the room, on the desk, piles on the floor and in the chairs.

* * *

With a mental sigh, Quistis began to sift through the piles closest to the door. As she moved across the room toward the desk she found a very interestingly titled file. She opened it and began to read. What she saw in the folder shocked her. If this file was true, Seifer was in serious danger of being discovered and Squall and the Garden were about to be in a lot of trouble. This file said that Galbadia was moving Timber and Galbadian troops to Balamb. They were going after Rinoa.

She had to warn Squall. The Garden was at a weak time. A vast majority of the top ranked SeeDs were gone. She and Seifer had been gone for a little less than a month. Irvine, Selphie, Zell, and Squall were still at the Garden but the rest of the A-ranked SeeDs were either on missions or on vacation.

Galbadia would have an easy time of infiltrating the unsuspecting Garden.

* * *

Rinoa was calmly eating a grapefruit when Squall entered the cafeteria carrying his morning paper. He waved to her with a small smile and she waved back with her spoon. He got his plate and came to sit beside her. He kissed her on the cheek before seating himself and unfolding his paper.

"Morning baby; did you sleep well?" she asked.

He nodded as he began to read. He took a swallow of his glass of water and immediately choked as he read the headline of an article on the page. Rinoa quickly slapped him on the back until the mouthful was swallowed.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, worried.

His blue eyes were confused and concerned as he looked up from the paper into her eyes.

"Your father…" he paused, his eyes gauging her reaction. "He was arrested last night."

Rinoa gasped and a hand went to her mouth.

"Why? What happened?" she questioned. His eyes were already scanning the article, looking for an answer to her query.

"This says that he assaulted the president and was resisting obeying orders," Squall read.

"But Caraway wouldn't do that," Rinoa protested. "He's the most loyal officer in the Galbadian Army. He wouldn't assault the president. Not unless there was something big at stake. But what would make him do that?"

Squall had a sinking suspicion that he knew as he stared at his girlfriend, the sorceress.

_Squall Leonhart; please report to your office immediately. Urgent call for you._ Nida's voice came over the speakers.

Squall grabbed Rinoa's hand and pulled her after him as he bolted to his office. She ran along behind him, still grasping her spoon. The paper lay forgotten on the table behind them.

The phone was still ringing when Squall and Rinoa burst into his office several moments later. Squall released Rinoa's hand and snatched up the phone.

"Leonhart," he said quickly. He listened for a moment and his eyes shot to where Rinoa was standing near the door.

"Are you sure Quistis?" he asked. Rinoa frowned in confusion and moved closer to Squall. She touched his arm gently and he looked up at her. The worry was clear in his blue eyes as he stared into hers. His free hand cupped her cheek for a moment before sliding down to her shoulder and pulling her against him.

"Can you get in touch with Seifer?" he questioned his friend on the other end of the phone. Her response must not have been positive judging by the way Squall paled and cursed.

"He's with the Timber Army? Quis, when were they ordered to move out?" He waited a moment for her reply before asking another question, "Did they know where they were going?" Again, her reply wasn't good. Squall cursed again and hugged Rinoa tighter. The young sorceress didn't know what was going on but she was getting the idea that whatever it was wasn't going to be a good thing for her, judging by the way Squall was holding her. Squall cursed again.

"Quis? Quistis? Are you there?" He listened for a moment before cursing as he slammed the phone down.

"Squall, what's wrong?" Rinoa asked, looking up at him.

"Quistis told me that Galbadia is coming here, looking to capture you. That's why your father got arrested. He tried to stop it. Seifer is with the Timber Army. They were all moved out this morning."

Rinoa gasped and her hands flew up to cover her mouth.

"And Quistis has been captured by the Galbadians," he added quietly.

* * *

Seifer shifted his feet nervously as he peered around him. They were in the field behind the city of Balamb. The Garden was stationed on the other side of the town. There was no way Squall or the others would be able to see them coming until it was too late to scramble any SeeDs.

He heard an officer shout an order to move out. The army was supposed to move through the town and approach the Garden on the back side. The troops began marching and Seifer thought quickly. As they trooped past Ma Dincht's house he moved out of line quickly and jumped into the house, slamming the door behind him. The old woman was surprised and tried to shout but Seifer's hand clapped itself over her mouth.

"Shh, its okay. It's Seifer." His hand moved off her mouth and she looked up at him, scared.

"What's wrong Seifer?" she questioned as the tall blonde SeeD moved to the phone that was hanging on the wall.

"Galbadia is attacking the Garden," he explained as he dialed a number quickly.

"Put me through to Commander Leonhart's phone," he ordered to the receptionist. A second passed and the line clicked and began to ring as she connected him.

"Squall, the Galbadian Army is in Balamb now. They're coming your way." A moment passed while the SeeD commander answered. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can," he replied before hanging up the phone.

He was moving toward the door before he realized that he couldn't just go running into the Garden dressed like a Timber soldier. He turned back to Zell's mother.

"Do you happen to have any of Zell's clothes here that I could use for a while?"

She looked confused but nodded, pointing up the stairs to Zell's bedroom.

Seifer bolted up the stairs and quickly began to sift through Zell's old clothes looking for something that would fit. Zell was a good deal shorter than Seifer. Seifer could only pray that Zell owned a pair of long jeans or something. As he was looking through the pants he was shrugging out of his uniform jacket and shirt. A black t-shirt was an adequate replacement and he quickly pulled it on. In the very bottom of the drawer he found a single pair of long blue jeans. He pulled them out and changed into them without taking off his boots. He ran back down the stairs and gave Ma Dincht a peck on the cheek before running out the door.

He bolted past the slowly marching troops, hastily removing his fake glasses lest any one from Timber recognize him.

He tore through the gate of Garden only a few minutes ahead of the following soldiers. He hadn't gone two steps before running into a row of waiting SeeDs. Countless machine gun safeties clicked and Seifer quickly raised his hands. Squall motioned the guns down quickly, before anything could happen.

The SeeD commander waved to his friend and the crowd separated to allow the two gunbladers to pass into the Garden.

Rinoa was pacing in front of the fountain as they walked into the front gate. As soon as she saw Seifer and Squall exit the crowd of SeeDs she ran quickly to them. Squall put his arm around her and quickly hugged her.

"Have you told him?" she whispered into his ear as he held her.

"I'm about to," he breathed back before pulling away.

The sorceress hugged her blonde friend quickly and Squall cleared his throat nervously.

"Seifer, I have something important to tell you," Squall began, unconsciously bracing himself. The blonde looked his friend in the eyes and saw the worry in his commander's blue orbs.

"Seifer, I talked to Quistis this morning. She called to warn us about the attack and while we were on the phone she was attacked and captured by the Galbadians."

Seifer's face was unnaturally pale as he stared at the SeeD commander. His right hand was clenched around the handle of Hyperion and his left was shaking. Rinoa was standing beside him and reached up to turn his face down to her. He looked down at her and she swallowed. The look in Seifer's eyes was identical to the one he had as he had thrown her to Adel.

"Seifer, they want us to trade Rinoa for Quistis," Squall continued slowly, stepping up behind his girlfriend. Seifer's eyes traveled quickly between Squall and Rinoa.

"What are we going to do?" Seifer questioned as he looked at the pair. "We can't give them Rinoa but we can't just abandon Quistis either."

The group was distracted by the arrival of Zell, Selphie, and Irvine. The three SeeDs saluted their commander as they pulled up beside their worried looking comrades. The new arrivals hadn't heard what was making their friends so worried. The appearance of Seifer was a surprise also.

Irvine thought fast and realized something. "Where's Quis?" he questioned, watching his commander closely.

Squall sighed and answered, "The Galbadians have her."

Selphie gasped and Zell cursed. Seifer's hands trembled. Irvine turned his gaze to the tall blonde. The man's hands were shaking and he was unnaturally pale. Something had changed between Quistis and Seifer on their mission. Nothing else would have caused the normally strong Seifer to break down like this.

"They want us to trade Rinoa for Quistis," Squall continued, looking down at his girlfriend.

Seifer couldn't contain his frustration and punched the closest wall. His fingers, aided by a strength boost provided by the Guardian Forces, cracked the marble that encased the walls in the main section of the Garden. His fingers began to bleed as the splintered stone dug into his hands. He felt hands on his arm, pulling him away from the wall. He felt a cool rush of healing magic wash over his hand and the cuts sealed up quickly. Seifer looked down to find Rinoa, eyes closed, healing his hand.

She pulled Seifer into a hug and, standing on her toes, she reached up and pressed a kiss to the distraught warrior's cheek.

"We'll get her back," the sorceress whispered, "I promise."

AN: I like this chapter. I hope you guys like it too. I apologize for the wait but I wanted it to be as good as I could make it before I posted it. Please review it and tell me if I did a good job or if I didn't, please tell me what I can do to make it better. Be honest.


	14. A Tricky Situation

**A Tricky Situation**

Darkness was complete around her. She could hear water dripping somewhere behind her and the measured pounding of marching feet somewhere beyond her feet. She was lying on something soft. Her hands were bound tightly behind her back.

Quistis slowed her breathing, concentrating on listening for other sounds in the room. She waited for a minute, trying to hear other breathing in the room. The only noises continued to be the dripping water and the pounding feet.

Her eyes opened slowly, gazing directly at a framed picture of her and Seifer that had been taken to make their cover house seem more realistic.

Those Galbadian sons of bitches were using her house as a base. Her bedroom had become her prison cell. She rolled over onto her other side and looked toward the bathroom. The sink faucet was dripping. The marching was still pacing back and forth in front of her door.

Moving quietly, she rolled off the edge of the bed onto her feet. She tried to move her hands. They had been bound with duct tape and could barely move. She looked carefully around the room, looking for something she could use to cut the tape. Her eyes fell on the framed photo on the nightstand. She went over to it and turned her back on the frame. Using her fingers, she picked it up and moved quickly and quietly into the bathroom.

Closing the door quietly with her foot, she deposited the picture on the counter and awkwardly got a towel out of the cabinet. Quistis dropped the towel on the ground by the counter and spread it out with her foot. She knocked the picture frame off the counter with her elbow and planted her shoe on the back of it firmly. She dimly heard the glass break and lifted her foot. Using the toe of her shoe, she moved the frame away from the square of broken glass that now lay on the towel.

She lay down beside the towel awkwardly without the use of her hands. She picked out a large enough piece and kept her eyes locked on it. She rolled onto her side, back facing the towel, and tried to remember where the piece she needed was. Her fingers skittered gingerly over the edge of the towel, touched a small shard of glass and cautiously kept moving. Finally her fingers found the piece she was looking for and she carefully pulled it out and scooted herself away from the towel.

Her fingers twirled the piece, trying to find a sharp edge to cut the tape. As it turned in her hand, a corner dragged across the center of her palm and cut her deeply. She winced but kept going.

An edge came into contact with the tape and she slowly began to saw the duct tape. She allowed herself a smirk as she heard the tape begin to rip. She began wiggling her arms, trying to force her wrists apart. The tearing continued and with a pop, her wrists were free.

She yanked the duct tape off her wrists and threw it to the side. Blood was dripping off her hand onto the floor and with a grimace she wiped it off her palm with a rag. A fresh rag was torn into strips and wrapped around the cut.

A quick check outside the bathroom to make sure she was still alone revealed that she was and she quickly sprinted to the room's phone.

Surely the idiots wouldn't have left a working phone in here with her. Holding her breath in anticipation, she lifted the receiver, holding her finger on the button so the phone wouldn't make a noise as it connected.

Her finger slid slowly off the button and she waited, listening intensely. To her surprise she could hear two men talking.

"So, what are we going to do with the SeeD woman?" the first voice asked.

There was a pause before the second man responded, "We've contacted the Garden and they were told that if they want to get her back they have to surrender their sorceress. Either way, we'll kill the SeeD and attack the Garden."

Quistis quickly slipped her finger back over the button, cutting off the connection.

She had to get out of here.

* * *

Squall Leonhart was sure Seifer was carving a permanent track in the carpet with all the pacing the tall blonde was doing. Rinoa was seated in a chair next to Squall's desk, her worried eyes locked on the muttering blonde man.

"What are we going to do?" Seifer asked for the millionth time. Squall sighed and shook his head.

"I still don't know, Seifer. There's no way of knowing where they have her or even if she is still…" his voice trailed off at the murderous look he was instantly given.

"Don't even think it," Seifer demanded, his finger pointing angrily. With a frustrated groan, he resumed his pacing, muttering to himself.

Rinoa looked sympathetically at her boyfriend. He returned her gaze and reached over to take her hand.

"Squall," she began slowly, "Don't freak out or anything. This is just an idea. What if I gave myself up...?" Instantly Squall's jaw dropped to protest. Rinoa silenced him quickly with her free hand over his mouth.

"Just listen. No talking," she commanded, looking over at the anxiously listening Seifer, "From either of you."

"What if I gave myself up to them long enough for you guys to get Quistis back and then you guys can come save me?"

The guys both stared at her for a long moment. They glanced at each other, as if to assure themselves that the other man had also heard the same thing.

"Rinoa," Seifer started slowly, "That's a really noble plan but we can't turn you over to them. They are going to kill you if they get you."

Squall was nodding enthusiastic approval of the other man's objections behind Rinoa's hand. She removed it and he instantly grabbed it.

Squall's protests were cut off before he could begin by Seifer's cell phone ringing. Rinoa turned her head to look at the blonde SeeD. Seifer, growling in frustration, was patting his pockets, looking for the phone.

He finally pulled it out on the fifth ring. He flipped it open and hit a button, not looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" he asked quickly, anxious to get back to planning a rescue. He almost dropped the phone when he heard Quistis' voice whisper his name.

"Are you okay? They haven't hurt you, have they?" he asked quickly, in one breath.

Rinoa and Squall glanced at each other and he squeezed her hand as tears welled up in her eyes. Squall pulled her into his lap, hugging her soothingly. The caring sorceress was really worried about her captured friend.

"Seifer, listen, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Tell Squall, whatever happens, do NOT give Rinoa to them. They plan to attack the Garden either way." She wisely left out the part about their plan to kill her either way.

"And Seifer, be careful. I don't want…" the phone abruptly cut off and Seifer began cursing angrily.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Rinoa asked anxiously from her seat on Squall's lap.

Seifer shook his head in frustration.

"The phone cut off. But she told me that the Galbadians are planning to attack the Garden regardless of what we do."

Squall nodded in understanding, holding Rinoa closer unconsciously.

"I'm going after her," Seifer declared, staring at his commander without flinching. Blue eyes never wavered from green as the SeeD leader nodded his consent.

"But how do you know where she is?" Rinoa asked in confusion.

"Caller ID," the blonde man said confidently, raising his phone in his hand. He flipped the screen open and hit a few buttons.

"Shit. Those assholes," he cursed angrily, "Those sons of bitches are using our house as a base."

Squall frowned and Rinoa gasped.

Seifer was moving towards the door to Squall's office before either of the couple could say anything.

"Be careful," Squall called out after him, echoed by Rinoa.

* * *

Quistis was huddled down beside the bed, whispering into the phone receiver when she heard the footsteps stop outside. Quickly, she hung up the phone, replacing it on the nightstand. Moving lightly, she crossed the room and hid herself in the corner behind the door.

Not ten seconds after she had flattened herself against the door it swung open.

A confused guard made his way cautiously into the bedroom, peering around for the supposedly incapacitated woman that was supposed to be lying on the bed.

The perplexed man didn't even hear her coming before he was unconscious, falling toward the floor. She caught the body by the back of the man's coat, dragging him out of the doorway.

A quick search of his pockets found nothing of interest to her. Some strips of towel were employed to bind the man's hands. His body was dumped unceremoniously on the bed and she left, cuffing him behind the ear again to make sure he stayed unconscious.

A quick glance down the hall ensured that she was still alone. Quickly, she walked down the hall towards the living room. The sound of voices stopped her in her tracks. Worse, they sounded like they were coming towards her. With a sigh she moved into the hall closet, waiting.

Three quick kicks and several punches later the two men that had been coming towards her room were laid out on the floor. Their bodies were stuffed into the closet and Quistis continued making her way towards the living room.

It proved to be empty. Quistis bolted out the front door, thanking Hyne for the stupidity of her captors.

The spaces between the suburban houses provided an easy way for the escaping SeeD to avoid notice as she made her way down the street.

* * *

The SeeD Transport ship was speeding along the water, heading at top speed for Timber. Seifer was sitting behind the controls, nervously tapping his fingers on the control panel.

He was lucky to have gotten away from Balamb in the craft. If Garden hadn't stored the boats at the Balamb harbor he would never have gotten it away from the school itself.

At the speed he was traveling now he would reach the town of Timber in another twenty minutes.

* * *

A patrol of Galbadian soldiers forced Quistis' escape to be cut short as she had to duck into the pub to hide from them. She made herself remain calm as she sat down at the bar, keeping a constant eye on the door.

A voice was dimly heard behind her and she absently waved it away, thinking that it was the bartender. A hand on her shoulder had her swinging around faster than blinking, knocking the man behind her onto his ass. The man's partner was quick to raise his hands in surrender, gazing fearfully at the mercenary woman.

"I'm sorry to scare you Ms. Trepe. We just wanted to help," Zone pleaded. Quistis hissed to silence him as he picked himself up.

"Be careful saying that name in here," she warned him. Glancing carefully around them, the three moved further back into the pub, seating themselves at a booth.

"So, what are you two doing here?" Quistis asked. The two Forest Owls just looked at each other, shrugging.

"We saw you running down the road and decided to follow you. Thought you might be in trouble," Zone explained, glancing at her nervously.

"What's wrong, sir…err…ma'am?" Watts piped up.

Quistis glanced around her warily before leaning closer to the resistance members.

* * *

Seifer peered cautiously down the street as he walked through the town. He had had to ditch the boat on the beach outside of the town and walk in on foot. Now he was heading towards the house where his partner was being held.

A cautious voice in his head warned him that there was no way he could expect to break into the house without escaping notice and there was no way he could expect to make it out of there alive without help. But who did he know in Timber that could help him?

As the answer came to him he changed directions. More than likely he would find the two he was looking for in the pub.

* * *

The dimness inside the bar prevented Seifer from seeing who had thrown their arms around him but the familiar smell of raspberries told him exactly who it was. Over her shoulder he could see Zone and Watts, the two people he had come to find, standing up out of a booth.

Seifer pulled back a little but was unable to speak as Quistis pressed her mouth to his. After a moment she broke the kiss and pulled back a little.

"It's good to see you too," Seifer breathed as he looked at her. "How did you get out of there? I was coming to rescue you," he asked with a confused look.

Quistis just rolled her eyes, "I'm a SeeD too remember? I can take care of myself," she responded.

But her hand was resting in his, holding on to him tightly. That told him all he needed to know.

AN: YAY! I updated! Hope you enjoy it. Please Review!! It would be much appreciated.


	15. Galbadia Attacks!

**Galbadia Attacks!**

The guards standing outside of the cell in D-District Prison were exchanging glances as they listened to the fuming man that they were guarding. General Caraway was not a calm, resigned prisoner. From the second they had locked him up, he had been cursing and yelling, beating the walls. The two men standing outside didn't know why the leader of the Galbadian military had been locked up, except for what they had read in the newspaper.

Of course, they had no idea that the General's daughter was the only remaining sorceress in the world.

* * *

The SeeDs could hear the measured steps of the marching soldiers before they could see them. Squall stood at the head of the waiting SeeDs, anxiously waiting for something, anything to happen. His nervousness made him jump when his cell phone started ringing in his pocket. A glance at the caller-id caused him to let out a relieved sigh. 

"Quistis please tell me Seifer got there," the worried and worn out commander pleaded.

"He's right beside me. We're at the pub in Timber," she assured him.

"Can you guys get back?" Squall asked. "We're about to be in a lot of trouble and could use ya'll's help."

Quistis quickly stated that they would be on the boat and on their way back to Balamb in a moment. Squall thanked them and hung up as the marching feet moved closer. Rinoa shouldered her way through the ranks of the SeeDs to Squall's side, intent on joining the fight.

Looking down at her, Squall shook his head. "Rin, you have to go back. I can't let them get you. If you stay up here you might get hurt or captured."

Her brown eyes met his gaze evenly. "So could you," she stated calmly, keeping her fear for his safety hidden. "Squall I'm a sorceress. I'm the reason we're in this mess to begin with. Plus, having a sorceress on your side is a valuable asset. You know my magic abilities are a lot better than anything they have on their side. You have to let me do this," she said, staring him down. "Besides," she finished, "You are my knight. You won't let anything happen to me."

With a heavy sigh he nodded and she smiled triumphantly.

Standing on her toes she reached up and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be careful," she whispered in his ear before dropping back onto her heels.

With a deep breath he pulled Lionheart from its sheath and set his stance. "Here they come," he called to his SeeDs. As one, the mercenary army exhaled and readied themselves. Squall waved his blade in the air and they began to run forward. The Galbadian forces were caught off guard as they heard the supposedly unaware SeeDs moving towards them.

The two armies met with a terrible crash, Rinoa's magic adding to the chaos. Guns were going off, swords swinging through the air, spells flying towards their targets. Angelo was even in the fray, biting Galbadians as he ran around the battlefield. Rinoa had found a place near the wall where no one could come up behind her and there a good range of targets in front of her. She was careful to make sure Squall was as safe as she could keep him, healing him every few minutes and keeping his back safe. Once, seeing that he was surrounded, she cast Aura on him and watched Lionheart go to work on the Galbadians.

The SeeDs were doing well, holding their own, but the sheer number of troops arrayed against them tipped the odds in the favor of the Galbadians.

Rinoa heard Selphie's victory cry of "Booyaka" from across the foyer of the assaulted Garden and hoped there would be something to cheer about by the end of the battle.

* * *

Quistis was pacing nervously in the back of the small boat while Seifer readied it to take them back to the Garden. Glancing over his shoulder at her, he sighed and worked faster. Within a minute the boat was moving, gathering speed. 

Seifer turned from the instruments and was surprised to find Quistis instantly in his arms. He pulled her closer, frowning.

"Quistis, what's wrong?" he asked, looking down at her. She didn't answer, just buried her face in the side of his neck. Shrugging, Seifer just held her as the boat sped toward the besieged Garden.

After a moment she moved her head up and he pulled back a little.

"You okay?" he asked, his hands rubbing her arms unconsciously. Looking down, she nodded and sighed.

Seifer looked down at the top of her head and let out a deep breath. He didn't know what to do. She wasn't talking to him and he didn't know what to say to get her to open up. He was new to this 'caring' thing. He was the first one to admit that he had been an asshole in the past but he had knew that he had changed and hoped that he and Quistis were close enough that she would feel comfortable talking to him about whatever was bothering her. He had confided in her. He knew that she wouldn't betray his trust. What was stopping her from doing the same with him?

"Quistis," he lifted her chin with his hand to look into her blue eyes. "What's wrong? Please tell me," he asked softly.

Quistis mentally did a double take as she stared at the man in front of her. He had changed more than she could have imagined possible. He was a different person than the smug, arrogant young man she had taught. He had, in some ways, reverted to his childhood personality; caring, noble, considerate, or as close as was possible for Seifer. That was not to say that he had lost his attitude. He was still full of pride, cocky, and still had a horrible temper sometimes. But he was trying to change. That was what was important. And she loved him for it.

Clearing her throat, she began to speak, her eyes never wavering off of his concerned green eyes.

"I'm worried about Rinoa and Squall and everybody else. They have to hold off the entire Galbadian army until we get there. And then, even when we get there we're only two fighters. There's no way that's going to make any difference," she said slowly.

Seifer smirked as he answered, "We make a lot of difference. It's us. The Galbadians don't stand a chance once we get there."

Quistis laughed at his statement, looking up at him.

"Seifer, you'll never change, will you?" she asked with a smile. He smirked again as he looked down at her.

"Of course not, no one would want that."

She released him, her worry abating for the moment and he turned back to the controls, the smirk dropping off his face. He knew exactly what they were heading for. She did too. They would be ready. They were SeeD.

* * *

The young guard was terrified as he faced the fuming General Caraway. The old man was towering over the thin youth who had come to give the general his dinner. Placing the plate on the small table, the guard backed slowly away from the visibly furious prisoner. Just as the man opened the door General Caraway lunged at him, wrestling the smaller man's gun away from him. 

Pointing it at the frightened sentry, the general moved out of the cell and locked the shaking guard inside. The gun stayed in his hand as he moved through the levels of the compound, heading for the top level.

He was a man on a mission and the people he encountered knew it. His eyes were fiery and his expression told everyone that he wouldn't tolerate any opposition.

The top floor was quickly emptied as the general stormed in. The guards had been ordered to keep him in the prison; now that he was out they were not going to stop him from leaving. Better to let him go and be thanked for it later when he returned to duty than he get released later and he punish them for locking him up.

Scanning the control board, Caraway flipped the switch for a communicator. The frequency had already been set to talk to the invading Galbadian troops. Pressing the button, he began issuing orders.

* * *

Squall rocked back on his heels as he blocked a heavy strike from a Galbadian swordsman. Suddenly, the man's radio began squawking as someone spoke on the other end. His opponent's surprise gave Squall a chance to knock the man over the head, quickly ending the fight. 

He grabbed the radio from the man's belt and listened intently to the voice on the other end. Instantly he recognized the sound of Rinoa's father's voice. He held the button down and answered the call.

"General, this is Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden."

_Leonhart, how did you get this radio?_

"I…um…just knocked out the guy carrying it," Squall explained rather sheepishly. Behind him, a thunder spell knocked out a soldier coming toward the unaware commander's back. Turning around, Squall met Rinoa's gaze. He glanced down at the radio in his hand and began to slash his way across the room towards Rinoa's spot on the wall.

"So, why are you calling General?"

_I'm trying to stop the battle. I escaped from my cell and am trying to order a 'cease fire.' The president ordered this attack. I have to stop it._

"Hang on, I might have an idea," Squall stated as he reached Rinoa's side. Taking his finger off the button, he leaned over to talk in her ear.

"Hey, is there anyway you could cast a Stop spell over the whole room?" he asked quickly, praying to Hyne that his plan might work.

Rinoa looked confused but nodded as she looked at him.

"I can try," she said. He kissed her quickly as he handed her the radio.

"After you cast the spell tell your father to issue his orders on the radio," he told her as his fingers turned up the volume on the handheld.

Her eyes were wide but she nodded and concentrated. Squall turned his attention back to the battle as he waited anxiously for the spell to take effect. He heard her say the spell right before his body locked up, rigid and unmoving. Through his unblinking eyes he could see that everyone else in the room was trapped in the same state as him.

Rinoa gave Caraway the announcement that the battle was on hold, at least temporarily, and released the button for him to make his own announcement.

_This is General Caraway speaking. All Galbadian forces are to withdraw from Balamb territory immediately. Any disobedience will result in severe punishment. Commander Leonhart has assured me that there will be no retaliation if Galbadia pulls out now. Repeat: all remaining Galbadian forces are to retreat immediately._

With a wave of her hand, Rinoa released the spell and the stiff combatants in front of her relaxed. She handed the radio back to Squall and he thanked the General for his help and watched tensely as the Galbadians formed up ranks and began to march out of the Garden.

Before the invaders could reach the door, Seifer and Quistis bolted in, both of them ready for heavy combat. Hyperion was swinging through the air alongside Quistis' Save the Queen as Rinoa cast another quick Stop spell on the two newcomers.

"It's okay," Squall said quickly from the other side of the room. "They were just leaving. Caraway got free and ordered a retreat."

After a nod from Squall, Rinoa released the spell and Seifer and Quistis relaxed. They exchanged looks and moved out of the way of the retreating Galbadians. Selphie, Irvine, and Zell moved across the room to where Squall and Rinoa were standing, Seifer and Quistis close behind them.

The group stood together in silence for a moment before Selphie spoke up.

"So, I guess your mission was a bust then?" she asked Seifer and Quistis.

She only smiled widely as an angry Seifer was instantly restrained by the rest of the group.

AN: My chapter ending are always lame. But I can't think of where else to end it. I tried to add more of Seifer and Quistis' feelings in this chapter. Let me know how I did. Happy Holidays! Please review!


	16. Breaking the News

**Breaking the News**

Quistis rolled over in bed, reaching for Seifer. Her hands collided with the night table that resided next to her narrow dorm bed. Wearily, she cracked open her eyes, meeting the red glare of her alarm clock.

Groaning tiredly, she rolled onto her back, her hand sliding across her eyes. She was more than prepared to drop back into dream world. A knock on the door denied her that pleasure.

Sighing, she rolled over and onto her feet. The door slid open at her touch, revealing the smiling face of Selphie. The hyper brunette hugged Quistis quickly, knocking the surprised blonde back into her dorm.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Selphie exclaimed, releasing Quistis without warning, causing her to fall backwards onto her butt. The brunette was quick to help the wincing woman back onto her feet, apologizing the whole time. Quistis was quick to reassure her friend that was she was okay. They were walking towards Quistis' small couch when there was another knock on the door.

Sighing, Quistis turned back to the door, waving Selphie back to the couch. A touch on the keypad had the door sliding open to reveal Seifer holding a tray of food.

"You brought me breakfast?" she asked incredulously, looking into his grinning green eyes. With a flourish Seifer deposited the loaded tray on the small table by the door, pulling Quistis into his arms quickly. He immediately began to pepper her lips with kisses. She held him into a long kiss, her hands moving across his shoulders, fingers delving into his hair. After a long moment she pulled back, smiling up at him.

"I'm glad you shaved that goatee off. It was itchy and made kissing you weird," she said, her fingers sliding across his smooth chin.

Seifer smirked down at her, pulling her tighter against him. "So you think kissing me is weird?" he asked teasingly. She just shook her head, returning his smirk before standing up on her toes to kiss him again.

A loud gasp separated them quickly. Still holding onto each other, they turned their heads to see Selphie standing there, pointing at them in shock, her jaw hanging open.

"You might swallow a bug if your mouth opens much more," Seifer joked. Quistis slapped him on the chest before moving out of his arms towards her friend. She waved her hand in front of Selphie's eyes, trying to get her shocked friend to snap out of it. Gently Quistis pushed Selphie's still pointing arm down to her side. Touching her friend's cheek seemed to snap the stunned girl out of it. Big green eyes blinked slowly, moving to look over at her blonde friend.

"What…?" she asked in a stuttering voice, looking into Quistis' blue eyes questioningly. Sighing, Quistis took hold of Selphie's arm and led her friend back to the couch.

"Sit down. I don't want you to pass out," Quistis ordered gently. Seifer followed behind them, interested in hearing how Quistis was going to explain this.

"Well Selphie," Quistis began, sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of her friend. "Seifer and I got a lot closer while we were on the mission. I got sick and he took care of me."

"So, are you, like, together now?" Selphie asked, her eyes traveling from Quistis to Seifer.

Seifer moved from his position by the door and stood behind Quistis, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"I really care about him," Quistis nodded, feeling his fingers squeeze her shoulder gently. She leaned her head back against his abdomen, looking up at him. He winked down at her, a small smile – a genuine smile – on his face.

Selphie jumped to her feet, throwing her arms around the couple, leaving Quistis squished in the middle. Seifer awkwardly patted Selphie on the back, uncomfortable in the embrace.

Selphie pulled back after a moment. "Aww, I'm so happy for you guys," she cooed. Quistis smiled and stood up and hugged her friend.

"Thank you. I'm glad we have your support."

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you," Selphie declared, pointing her finger at Seifer warningly over Quistis' shoulder as they hugged.

Selphie released Quistis and smiled widely as she watched her friend's hand reach for Seifer's automatically.

"You guys are so cute," she squealed excitedly. "I'm gonna go tell Rinoa," she said, running towards the door.

"Oh, she already knows," Quistis spoke up.

Selphie turned around as she stopped. "How long has she known?" she asked with a hurt frown on her normally smiling face.

"She was there when we first kissed. She and Squall just happened to be visiting," Quistis explained, hoping Selphie wasn't offended that they hadn't told her.

"So she can tell me how it happened?" Selphie asked eagerly, her face clearing. Quistis nodded and the hyper brunette bolted out the door. They could hear her yelling for Rinoa as she ran down the hall. Then the door slid closed and the sounds were cut off.

Seifer plopped back on the couch with a sigh, running his hand across his eyes. "I'm glad that's over with."

Quistis smiled as she sat down beside him. "It wasn't that bad. In fact if probably could have been worse."

"Oh really, how so?" he asked, his arm dropping around her shoulders.

"It could have been Zell," she said simply.

"Oh Great Hyne he's going to freak out."

Quistis just nodded and smiled. "Maybe if we tell him while he's eating he won't yell," she mused thoughtfully.

"That might have worked except for the fact that you just let Selphie run out the door."

"Oh dear."

"We might as well eat before the masses show up at the door," Seifer said practically. Her stomach growled in agreement and he helped her up off the couch. He got the tray of food and separated it into portions on the small table that the dorm was outfitted with. They ate in silence for a few moments before Quistis began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Seifer asked, looking around for something that might seem funny.

"You are so much like Squall," she laughed, remembering his reaction to Selphie's hug.

Seifer's green eyes widened and he began choking. Quistis was quick to begin pounding on his back, worried. After a few moments and several hard hits he recovered and looked at her.

"What do you mean I'm like Puberty Boy?" he asked, looking scandalized. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I just meant that you and _Squall_ both respond to emotion in the same way. When Selphie hugged you, you froze. That's the way Squall gets when anyone hugs him," she explained, emphasizing her commander's name.

"And since when have you made it a habit to be hugging Commander Puberty?" he asked, suspicious.

"Oh please, don't give me that. He's my friend. Friends hug each other. Besides, he's with Rinoa. I'm with you. Neither of us wants to change that," she explained heatedly.

Seifer smirked as he looked at her, breathing hard and passionate. "That's a good answer," he said calmly, pulling her into his lap. Their lips were millimeters from touching when another knock was heard on the door. With a frustrated groan Seifer dropped his forehead to hers.

"We're not going to get to be alone. Ever," he sighed.

She suddenly pulled his chin up and kissed him, hard. His hands moved up her sides, holding her face in his palms. Breathing hard, he pulled away as another pounding knock echoed through the dorm.

"Damn them," he growled, sliding out from under Quistis and moving through the dorm quickly toward the door. Quistis was in shock from the passionate kiss and melted into the chair since her knees couldn't hold her.

"What the hell do you want!?!" Seifer demanded angrily as the door slid open. Zell was quick to get in the other man's face.

"What are you doing in Quistis' dorm?" Zell asked angrily, poking his finger in Seifer's chest.

"I'm here to see Quistis obviously," Seifer stated loudly.

"You stay away from her," Zell ordered.

Seifer's fist was in the air before he knew what he was doing. Zell's arm came up to block the hit but was thrown off balance when the blow didn't fall.

Save the Queen was wrapped tightly around Seifer's bicep, stretched tightly back to its mistress' hands.

"Seifer! Zell! Stop it right now!" Quistis ordered. Once Seifer's arm relaxed she released the tension on the whip and hurried over to the pair.

"Zell, what is the meaning of this?" she demanded, cautiously standing between the two seething males.

"Quisty, Selphie just ran into the cafeteria and told Rinoa something about the two of you getting together. Is that true?" the confused martial artist asked.

With a heavy sigh and a glance at Seifer, she nodded.

"But, Quisty, he isn't good enough for you. He was the sorceress' lapdog for crying out loud," Zell objected.

The only thing that held Seifer back was Quistis' hands at his chest.

"Seifer, calm down. Zell, leave," she quickly ordered. When the tattooed fighter didn't move she moved her hands away from the enraged gunblader's body. With a quick lunge Seifer was in the doorway. Zell, having seen the wisdom of retreating, was running down the corridor away from his friend's dorm. After she saw that the angry fighter was leaving, she grabbed Seifer's arm and dragged him back into the dorm.

"Seifer, calm down," she pleaded. The taller blonde was seething, his face aimed firmly toward the ground.

"Look at me," she directed, moving his chin up with her free hand. "You don't believe him, do you?" she asked in horror, seeing the look of utter despair and disdain that was plain in his green eyes. Her fingers dug into his arm as she gasped in shock.

"Seifer Almasy, how could you think that?" she questioned. The ashamed man just shook his head, trying to avoid looking at her. Frustrated, she seized his chin and forced him to look at her. He continued to stubbornly shake his head.

"How could you thing you aren't good enough for me? That's just ridiculous. Don't listen to him," she said, looking into his eyes.

"But Quistis, he's right. I'm just a traitor who's gotten a second chance. I betrayed everyone. What right do I have to come back? I was a sorceress' lapdog; you are everything I'm not. I don't have any right to care about you. What right do I have to ask you to stay with me?" he responded, closing his eyes to escape from her piercing blue gaze.

A slap echoed through the dorm as he finished. His eyes shot open, surprised that she had hit him.

"Seifer Almasy! Never, ever say anything like that ever again. I don't want to hear such lies come out of your mouth ever again," she said fiercely. "Do you understand me?" she asked, looking into his face anxiously.

"But, Quistis," he started to object and she slapped him again.

"No arguments," she commanded. "I'll choose who I want to be with and if Zell or anyone else has a problem with it then they will deal with me," she stated passionately.

"Seifer, I choose to be with you. I know what you did in the past but I also know you. You didn't do those things because you chose to. You were a pawn for a twisted, sick woman. I know that and Zell does too. He just wasn't thinking when he said that," she pleaded with him to understand. "Please believe me," she said, hugging him, her face burying itself in his chest.

With a heavy sigh, his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her hair.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her, holding her tight to his body. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," he whispered into her ear.

Her arms tightened across his back, trying to assure herself that he was really there, still with her.

"Seifer, I wouldn't be with you if there wasn't something about you that I love," she stated quietly.

"Oh please, you know there is nothing about me that you don't love," he scoffed, trying to get a laugh out of her. Grinning, she pulled back and slapped him lightly on his chest.

"I thing I could do without the cocky attitude," she said with a smirk. He didn't take offense, just grinned back at her before pulling her into a gentle kiss.

AN: I'm so sorry for the wait. I've been getting into the swing of things again at college and add to that the fact that I couldn't figure out what I wanted to write about. But, I think this chapter turned out good and maybe even a little bit funny. And I put some more of their feelings into the end of it...tell me what you think. Oh and I apologize for all the cursing, I just realized that it is more than normal and I hope I don't offend anyone.


	17. Stalking Seifer

**Stalking Seifer**

A whisper of sound was his only clue that someone was following him.

Trying not to alert whoever it was that he knew they were there, he continued to walk at the same pace. Taking a right, he turned onto the ramp that led into the dormitories. Following the hall straight, he heard a squeak, like the sole of a shoe on the tile floor of the Garden. He nonchalantly took the first left turn that he came to, heading in the direction of the upper ranked SeeDs' rooms.

He paused right inside the hallway and flattened himself against the wall, waiting to see if anyone came up the corridor behind him.

He waited tensely for a moment, holding his breath. Nothing happened. He stood for another minute, waiting.

As he turned around to continue on his way, he jerked back in surprise before he could even take a step. Quistis was standing behind him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a curious look on her face.

"I could have sword I heard someone following me," he explained, glancing into the hallway behind him.

She moved past him, peeing up and down the hall. There was nothing to be seen.

"I don't see anything Seifer," she said, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"There was _somebody_ there," he insisted.

"Sure thing Seifer," she agreed patronizingly.

He shrugged it off, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm just being silly," he said ask she wrapped her arms around him. She nodded against his chest and he smirked.

"You ready to go to breakfast?" he asked, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I'm fine right here," she murmured, tightening her arms around him.

Smiling, he held her closer, content to just stand there with her forever.

A yellow blur ran past the hallway they were standing in before turning and coming back to where they were.

"Hey guys, we were looking for ya'll," Selphie said excitedly.

"Hey Selphie," Quistis mumbled, her voice muffled by Seifer's chest.

"Ya'll are gonna come eat with us, right?" she asked the embracing pair.

Quistis pulled back and nodded. "Yeah, we're coming."

"Hey Selphie, you weren't following me were you?" Seifer asked as they moved out of the hall, back towards the center of the Garden.

The hyper brunette frowned, "Are you joking? No, I wasn't following you."

"Seifer, I thought you were over that. No one was following you," Quistis exclaimed.

"I was just checking," he defended himself.

They entered the Cafeteria a moment later and got in line. Selphie was first, then Quistis, followed by Seifer.

A hand tapped his on the shoulder, causing him to turn around. No one was behind him. He turned back to face the front, frowning.

Somebody had gotten in front of him.

At that moment, Quistis turned around to ask him a question. She saw what had happened instantly. Seifer was glaring at the unconcerned guy in front of him. If looks could kill, the Trepie in front of the ex-knight would be a smoking pile of ashes.

She gave him a look, warning him against making a scene. The cafeteria was really crowded and the last thing the students needed was to see a SeeD beating up a cadet in the food line.

Excusing herself, she brushed past the Trepie, who was staring at her in undisguised admiration, and moved back in the line to stand next to Seifer.

"Happy now?" she asked, smiling up at him as he glared at the guy in front of him. He nodded and smirked as the Trepie frowned, disappointed.

"You're a nut Seifer," she said slapping his chest as he pointed forward, signaling the Trepie that the line was moving.

He just smirked down at her, his arm comfortably around her shoulders.

* * *

There was no noise as Seifer made his now daily trek through the Training Center.

Since they had only been back from their mission for a few days, neither he nor Quistis had any SeeD work to do. She was back to teaching her classes and he had taken to going to train on a daily basis in the simulated forest provided for him. They were supposed to get a report typed up about their mission but it wasn't due to Squall for a few more days.

He heard a rustling in the bushes and turned in that direction, Hyperion held in front of him.

Instead of seeing a monster or a foe, he was surprised to see two SeeD cadets crouching in the bushes. They stared at him, wide-eyed, for a moment before bolting away from him.

"Hey, wait!" he called out, surprised.

The kids paid him no attention, continuing to run away from him without looking back. Shrugging the incident off, he turned to continue his circuit of the monster infested jungle.

Two more cadets were behind him.

Jerking back in surprise, he grabbed the shorter teens by their shoulders.

"What's up with you cadets?" he asked, shaking the terror-stricken youths. "Aren't you supposed to be in class or something?"

One of the boys nodded fearfully and Seifer released them.

"Well go on then, get going."

As the kids scampered away, he smirked to himself. He may have fallen from grace but he was back and still the toughest guy in the Garden.

Rounding the bend, he was surprised to see that Quistis was teaching her class in the Training Center. The two kids he had just set loose were sitting front and center, staring at her in rapt attention.

Those two kids were Trepies he realized, watching their behavior. Pieces clicked into place. They were stalking him. He had been right. First the person in the hall, then the guy in the cafeteria, and now these kids.

They were everywhere.

The kids in the class all turned to look at him as Quistis greeted him. She smiled at him, looking confused as Seifer glared at two of her students. She moved from the front of the group, hugging Seifer around the neck.

"You okay?" she whispered, standing on her toes to talk into his ear. His arms went around her and he nodded.

His eyes were drawn to the two kids as they glared at him again. He smirked and loosened the hug, pulling back to kiss her on the cheek. The two kids scowled and Quistis blushed.

She was looking intently at her boots when he pulled back.

"I'll see you later?" he asked quietly. She nodded and smiled up at him.

With a wave, he turned to walk off, noting as he did so, that the two Trepies were scowling angrily at him.

* * *

Seifer glanced around the corner, peering in both directions before he moved into the hallway. Quistis rolled her eyes and moved ahead of him. Rinoa was watching Seifer with an amused smirk on her face.

"You seriously think the Trepies are stalking you?" the sorceress asked, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

He nodded distractedly. "They are," he affirmed.

Rinoa giggled, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as Seifer turned away from his surveying to glare at her.

"Sorry Seifer," she apologized, snickering. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Quistis was trying to hide her smirk as Seifer turned back around.

"You think I'm crazy too don't you?" he demanded, starting to get angry.

Quistis tried valiantly but couldn't keep her laughter inside. Seifer glared at her, laughing loudly while leaning on the cackling Rinoa. Turning away, Seifer stomped angrily down the hall.

As they watched his trench coat swing around the corner behind him, Quistis calmed herself enough to look contrite.

"We might have pushed him too far Rin," she said, peering after him.

"It's Seifer. He's the king of jokes and teasing and you think we pushed him too far?" Rinoa asked her incredulously.

Quistis shrugged.

"He seemed kind of hurt that we didn't believe him," she said, still looking in the direction the ex-knight had gone.

"Quis, Seifer doesn't get his feelings hurt," Rinoa waved her concerns off.

"He's more sensitive than he lets on," Quistis said in defense of her boyfriend, scowling at the still giggling sorceress.

Seeing the look on her friends face, Rinoa stopped laughing. "Quistis, I know he is. I heard all about his 'romantic dream' that summer we were dating. I was just trying to make you feel better about him leaving. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

Quistis was still scowling so Rinoa tried again.

"How about we go find him and apologize," she offered, trying to appease her friend.

"That would be nice of us," Quistis agreed as she gave Rinoa a tiny smile.

* * *

Seifer could feel their eyes on him as he stalked down the corridor. They were behind him, in front of him, all around him.

Unexpectedly, a figure dressed all in black stepped out of the hallway in front of him. Seifer moved to go around him but he found himself blocked by the silent shadow before him. He glanced to either side and found that burly cadets stood at either elbow.

The Trepies had come prepared. He was alone and unprepared. He had been caught by a bunch of obsessive psychos.

And they were obsessed with his girlfriend. The mere thought made his blood boil. Before he could move away, he found his arms pinioned behind his back by the two gorillas beside him.

A blindfold was put over his eyes and he could feel himself being lifted.

"We just need to have a talk with you," a voice whispered into his ear as his body was carried away, leaving behind an empty, soundless hallway.

That's how Quistis and Rinoa found it when they came in a minute later.

AN:Sorry this has taken so long...school has become more and more busy each day...but today I had a day off so I wrote this...now I have to go read 60 pages for my literature class...its 2 AM...curse my procrastinating...


	18. Hide and Seek

**Hide and Seek**

"Where could he be?" Quistis wondered aloud, looking around the cafeteria as he if was there and she had just missed seeing him. Another look around revealed that the first six times she had checked had been correct – he wasn't in the cafeteria…or the training center, the infirmary, his dorm, the Quad, the library, they had even checked Squall's office. Seifer was nowhere to be found.

After they had searched all of Garden but the classrooms (Seifer had rarely gone to class as a student – now that he didn't have to go, they figured that there was no way he would be in a classroom) Rinoa had led the increasingly worried Quistis back to the cafeteria for coffee, hoping to calm her friend down.

They had run into Zell in the hotdog line and the martial artist had agreed to help the girls in their searching, if only to curb Quistis' wrath against him for his earlier fight with Seifer. Selphie and Irvine came in shortly after the girls arrived and both agreed to help search as well.

After it became clear that Quistis was not going to calm down until they found Seifer, they split up, determined to find the missing knight.

* * *

A bright light directed at his eyes, coupled with being shaken, dragged Seifer awake. His eyes were no longer covered by the blindfold and he could dimly make out the silhouettes of his tormentors as they paced in front him. He lifted his head, squinting against the bright light.

"So, you're finally awake," the Trepie leader said, glaring down at the bound man who was seated against the wall. Seifer didn't answer, just glared up at his captor.

"Not gonna talk?" the cadet sneered, unwittingly leaning down. Seifer used his bound hands to push himself away from the wall, lunging upwards, the top of his head colliding hard with the Trepie's face. Blood gushed from the younger man's nose and he yelled in surprise. Quickly two other Trepies moved to restrain Seifer, pressing down on his shoulders to keep him from repeating his trick.

Seeing the cadet holding a tissue up to his nose, with blood dripping off his fingers caused Seifer to smirk and he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

The cadet noticed and pouted. "What are you laughing at?" he asked petulantly, the blood in his nose making his voice sound stuffed up, as if he had a head cold.

"That was a stupid mistake," Seifer said. "You should have never gotten close enough to me for me to reach you," he advised.

"I'll remember that," the cadet acknowledged, nudging Seifer's foot with his own. Seifer jerked his leg and laughed when the cadet sprung back as if struck.

"Now you're learning," Seifer laughed. "Though, if you had actually paid attention in Instructor Trepe's class instead of just staring at her, you would have known that and you wouldn't have a bloody nose right now," he continued, smirking up at the boy.

"You shut up about her," the cadet ordered with sudden surprising passion in his voice. "You don't deserve her, traitor," he said under his breath.

"I was a cadet once too, kid," Seifer reminded his captors. "I remember exactly what it was like to pay more attention to the teacher than what she was teaching. That's part of what got me into that mess with the sorceress."

"Don't you blame Instructor Trepe for your mistake!" the Trepie commanded angrily. "It wasn't her fault," he almost shouted.

"I never said it was. I said it was my fault for not listening and learning from her," Seifer shot back. "She's a very wise person and someday you'll regret not paying more attention to her."

"You don't talk about her," the cadet ordered again. "Gag him if he talks about Instructor Trepe again," he ordered the boys that were holding Seifer down. They nodded and Seifer rolled his eyes. He was about tired of dealing with these presumptuous little punks. The Trepie leader turned away and began whispering to others that were out of Seifer's vision.

If they seriously thought they could keep him here, bound and gagged, then they had another thing coming. He was Seifer Almasy for crying out loud! A whole nation had been under his control and this little group of cadets thought they could keep him captive? Not a chance in hell.

* * *

Getting desperate, Quistis decided to try something crazy. Instead of scouring the whole Garden looking for him, she would call him and let him come to her. Making up her mind, she rode the elevator up to the third floor and knocked on Squall's door.

"Yeah?" he called through the door.

"Squall, its Quistis."

"Come on in Quis," he said, looking up from a paper on his desk as she entered. She moved to stand in front of the desk quickly, anxiousness to find Seifer making her jumpy.

"I think I have an idea on how to find Seifer," she said. Squall didn't say anything but gestured for her to continue. "Call him to the office," she said, stating her idea in the simplest terms.

"That's it?" he asked, almost surprised.

She nodded. "Even if he's mad at me and Rinoa, he'll still come to the office to see you if he thinks it's for a mission." Squall nodded as he thought over her logic.

"That's makes sense. Give me a second and I'll call him," he said, pointing at the paper he had been reading when she entered.

Nodding anxiously, Quistis tried to calm down and sat in a chair to wait but was almost instantly on her feet, pacing in front of Squall's desk.

With a sigh, Squall put his pen down and almost smiled. "On second thought, I'll call him now."

Quistis blushed and sat down in a chair quietly.

* * *

Squinting against the light, he followed the pole of the lamp with his eyes, trying to determine how far away from him it was. He gradually made out the line on the floor that was the cord of the lamp. If he laid flat on his back, he could almost reach the wire with his feet.

Slowly he began wiggling his shoulders a little in the grips of the two cadets holding him down. He slid a few inches down the wall, the shoulders of his trench bunching up a little as he started to slide out of it. The cadets, not looking down at him, just tightened their grips on the fabric of his coat. Smirking, he slid down another little bit. He stretched his legs out in front of him again, getting that much closer to his goal. He had to stop momentarily as the Trepie leader began speaking to him again.

"We brought you here for a reason."

Seifer sighed. "Oh yeah, and what reason is that?"

"We want you to break up with Instructor Trepe," the Trepie said simply. Seifer's jaw dropped.

"Are you out of your mind?" he demanded. "I'm not doing that."

"Oh yes you will," the cadet insisted.

"You're crazy. You can't make me do that," Seifer stated, starting to get angry. He cautiously slid a little further down the wall. Now only his shoulders were still against the wall, the rest of his body was stretched out in front of him.

Before the cadet could argue further, a bell sounded from a speaker in the ceiling and all of the Trepies instinctively looked up as Squall's voice spoke over the intercom.

_Would Seifer Almasy please report to my office?_

While the cadets were distracted Seifer slid the rest of the way onto his back, hooking his boot under the wire and jerking it sharply towards him as he folded his knee up onto his chest. The lamp began to topple forward and he rolled quickly out of the way. Once he was on his stomach, he awkwardly used his knees to get to his feet without his hands and shook his leg free of the wire. The cadets were gaping at him and he spared a moment to laugh at the looks of shock and surprise that were on their faces.

Shrugging his shoulders back into his coat, he smirked at them. "Ya'll had better get this cleaned up," he said smugly, gesturing with his foot to the broken glass of the lamp. "If you'll excuse me, I have to be going to the commander's office," he grinned as he nudged the locking pad next to the door with his elbow, causing it to slide open behind him. He walked out backwards and let the door slide closed in front of him before he turned to walk away.

* * *

Squall and Quistis heard the bell that announced the arrival of the elevator and Quistis shot to her feet. They heard the doors slide open and Xu's voice greeting someone. The intercom on Squall's desk beeped and he pushed the button quickly.

"Yes?"

"Sir, Seifer Almasy is here to see you," Xu said, her voice sounding strained for some reason.

"Let him in."

The doors opened and Seifer entered, his hands behind his back. Quistis ran to him, throwing her arms around him.

"I'm glad we found you. I'm sorry for laughing earlier. I didn't mean it," she said in a rush, pressing her cheek into his chest.

"It's okay Quistis, don't worry about it," he assured her. She pulled back a little and kissed him. Squall promptly cleared his throat and she broke away, blushing like crazy. Seifer smirked and laughed.

"You called?" he asked Squall. The commander just nodded, pointing wordlessly at Quistis.

"So, I'm free to go?" Seifer asked in clarification. Squall nodded again. "Well then, I just have one question," he paused. "Can one of you guys untie me?" he asked, turning around to display his bound hands.

Outside, in the lobby of Squall's office, they could hear Xu's cackles of laughter.

* * *

The group was sitting in the cafeteria at dinner, all of them eating without speaking while Seifer regaled them with the story of his capture and escape from the Trepies. Quistis and Rinoa were both still stunned that he had been right about them stalking him.

"And they wanted me to break up with Quistis," he said as he told his friends about his conversations with the Trepie leader.

The woman in question gasped the loudest of all of them and a scowl was instantly on her face.

"Did you see any of them?" she asked him angrily. He just shook his head. "Damn," she said, frustrated.

"Why?" Selphie asked curiously.

"I was going to put them all in detention until they graduated," she declared, still scowling.

AN: I've given ya'll plenty to review...go on... - I have to apologize for the wait for this chapter - it shouldn't happen again. If this story stays according to plan there should only be two or three more chapters. Sniff, that makes me sad...this was the first story I ever wrote...hope it doesn't turn out too bad :-P


	19. A New Mission

**A New Mission**

Seifer Almasy paced restlessly as he waited for the door to Cid's office to open. He had been summoned to the headmaster's office but now couldn't get in to find out what was going on.

The call had come over the intercom, forcing Seifer to abandon his breakfast with Quistis and hurry up to find out what was going on. Now, however, he was stuck waiting.

Sighing with impatience, he dropped onto a long bench that was sitting against the wall in the lobby.

"This is so boring," he sighed to himself, leaning against the wall. Xu was sitting silently at her desk, smirking at his impatience. She had never liked the blonde SeeD and had made no secret of her disdain for the former knight during the last three months since Seifer and Quistis' return from Timber.

In the time since they had come back to the Garden, they had become inseparable; much to the annoyance of the Trepies. There had been no more kidnappings, the disgruntled youths had contained themselves to shooting death glares at Seifer's back when they were positive that there was no way they could be spotted. For the most part the Garden had been running as smoothly as it ever did, the blossoming relationship of two of its members, even members as well known as Quistis and Seifer were, didn't do much to disrupt the normal procedures of the Garden.

With a creak, the door to the headmaster's office swung open and Seifer stood at attention as General Caraway, Headmaster Cid, and another older man Seifer didn't recognize walked out. Noticing Seifer standing to the side, Cid nodded in greeting and signaled him to relax.

"Here's the man for the job," Cid said, extending his hand to indicate Seifer. General Caraway scowled but grudgingly nodded. The other man gazed at Seifer without expression for a moment before inclining his head just the tiniest amount.

Seifer didn't know exactly what he was being chosen to do but he knew that regardless, he had to prove himself worthy of the faith that had been put in him.

"Seifer has just recently returned from an undercover mission in Timber a few months ago. The mission didn't exactly go as planned but Seifer and his partner handled the situation very well. I think he would be the best candidate for a return mission," Cid continued, looking hopeful that his choice wouldn't be denied.

Seifer just stood there stoically, determined not to let any anticipation show on his face. It had been, in his opinion, too long since he had had a mission; everything had been fairly quiet since his and Quistis' last mission to Timber. He was eager for something exciting to do.

The two men that had been in Cid's office just stared at Seifer for a long moment before nodding, albeit reluctantly in Caraway's case. Cid shot a smile over to Seifer before ushering the men back into his office.

"Dismissed," Cid said over his shoulder as he closed the office door behind him. Shrugging to himself Seifer entered the elevator, eager to get back to the cafeteria with Quistis and tell her about his mission.

* * *

"What do you mean it's a solo mission?" Quistis asked, her voice rising as she stood up to loom over the seated Seifer. "I'm not going back with you?"

Seifer looked up at her, smirking a little at her reaction. "Quis, just sit down. It's not a big deal. It's just a mission. It's not like I'm a rookie or anything." He tugged a little on her hand, pulling her back into her seat beside him. "I'll be fine. You're just overreacting."

She sat down with a huff, knowing he was right but not willing to let him know it. Without looking at him, she continued to eat her breakfast as if her outburst hadn't happened. She was steadily ignoring him when the alarm on her watch beeped signaling her that she needed to get to her classroom before the students arrived. Still without speaking, she gathered up her dishes on her tray, preparing to leave the cafeteria. As she stood up Seifer grabbed her hand, causing her to drop the tray back onto the table. She opened her mouth to protest but was silenced as he kissed her quickly.

After a few moments he released her and she picked up her tray and continued on her way to class. Seifer remained standing, staring after her without speaking. As he slowly dropped back into his seat Squall and Rinoa joined him at the table.

"You've got guts Seifer," Squall stated simply, a hint of a smirk on his face.

Rinoa nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're brave. Not a lot of people can do something like that to Quistis and get away with it."

Seifer scowled. "If anyone kisses her like that but me it won't be her they have to worry about getting away from," he said seriously.

"You two are really serious aren't you?" Rinoa asked. Seifer's green eyes were completely serious as he looked at her.

"If this isn't love, I don't think I can handle the real thing," he said quietly, almost too low for the two sitting across from him to hear. Squall's eyes widened and Rinoa's jaw dropped.

"Are you sure?" Rinoa asked him, reaching compulsively across the table and taking her ex-boyfriend's hand.

"I've never felt this way before," he said, as serious as either Squall or Rinoa had ever seen him.

"Wow," Squall said, succinct as ever. Rinoa rolled her eyes and Seifer's serious face broke out in a smirk.

* * *

Seifer looked around his dorm, looking for his boots. No matter what he did they always seemed to disappear. With a sigh he leaned over to peer under the bed.

Quistis smirked as she entered Seifer's dorm and saw him with his rear sticking up in the air. The sight brought back memories of their first mission to Timber. When everything started to change.

The smirk dropped from her face as she moved up behind him. Seifer straightened up as he found the missing boots and stiffened as he felt a body suddenly leaning against his back. He relaxed as her arms slipped around his waist and he felt her head leaning against his back.

"Hey baby," he greeted her, dropping his boots on the bed so that his hands were free to grasp hers.

"Seifer, I'm worried," she said quietly, squeezing his hands. He turned in her arms, peering down into her blue eyes.

"What are you worried about?" he asked. "I'm just going back to Timber. Its nothing to worry about."

"But Seifer the last time we were in Timber you could have been killed or captured. Anything could have happened."

"Well if I remember correctly, you were the one that was captured, not me," he argued, smiling down at her.

She pulled back a little, rolling her eyes at him. "I also recall that I escaped with no help from anyone."

"Hey! I was coming to rescue you," he objected. She smirked up at him, smiling whenever he smirked back at her. "That's what I wanted to see," he murmured, his own smirk becoming a smile as he looked down at her. "So, am I forgiven?" he asked.

"Always," she sighed, leaning her head back onto his chest.

He rested his chin on the top of her head and breathed deeply. "Thank Hyne for second chances," he said as he held her tighter.

* * *

A knock on the door caused Rinoa to look up from her reading toward the door of Squall's dorm.

"Who is it?" she called, sliding her finger into the book to hold her place.

"It's Quistis," the reply came through the door. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Rinoa smiled to herself as she folded down the corner of her page, calling out, "Yeah, sure Quis. The door is open."

The door of the dorm slid open and the blonde instructor entered the room. Rinoa stood up to greet her and was surprised when the normally controlled Quistis immediately pulled the younger girl into a hug.

"Is everything okay?" Rinoa asked, squeezing her friend tightly.

"I love him," Quistis stated, her voice muffled in Rinoa's shoulder.

"Seifer?" Rinoa asked, just to clarify. Quistis nodded and Rinoa smiled behind her friend's back. "So what's the problem?"

"I'm terrified that I'm going to lose him. What if something happens to him on the mission and I'm not there? What if he dies never knowing that I love him?"

Rinoa pulled back from the hug, gently placing a finger over Quistis' mouth, silencing her friend's rambling. "Are you going to tell him before he leaves?" she asked. Quistis nodded and Rinoa smiled up at her friend. "Well then what's the problem?" the black haired girl asked. Quistis opened her mouth to tell her exactly what the problem was but Rinoa shushed her again, putting her hand over the blonde's mouth a second time.

"Quistis, don't worry about it. I mean, its fairly obvious how he feels about you. It's really nothing to be afraid of. He won't hurt you," Rinoa stated confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" Quistis asked the younger girl, her fear still reflected in her eyes.

"I've known Seifer for a long time. The whole time we were together, when I thought I loved him, he never once looked at me the way he looks at you every day."

Quistis seemed to visbly relax. Rinoa grinned widely and hugged her friend.

"How do you know Squall loves you?" Quistis asked, pulling back to look into Rinoa's face.

Before Rinoa could answer the dorm door slid open and Squall himself entered. His leather jacket was off, held over his shoulder. His hair was hanging in his face and there was a tiredness in his blue eyes.

Smiling at Quistis, Rinoa moved out of her friend's arms and into Squall's. The commander's arm slipped around the sorceress' shoulders and his eyes visibly softened as he looked down at her.

"This is how," Rinoa said simply, not looking away from Squall. Quistis smiled as she watched her friends. Rinoa reached up with her hand and brushed Squall's brown hair back away from his eyes.

Not willing to disturb them, Quistis moved quickly towards the door, exiting the dorm and making sure the door slid closed behind her. Determined now, Quistis set off quickly down the hall of the dormitory, heading towards Seifer's room where he was still packing for his mission.

* * *

Seifer groaned as he tried to force his bag closed. With a sigh, he climbed on top of the duffel and tried to use his body weight to get it to close. He was bouncing up and down on it when Quistis entered the dorm.

"Seifer Almasy! You get off that bag," she ordered, swatting him on the arm as she moved to the side of the bed. Grinning at her, he slid off the duffel bag so that he was lying down beside it. Propping his head up on his hand, he smirked as she began to pull his unfolded clothes from the luggage and fold them.

"You quit smirking. You're going to have to learn to do this sooner or later," she said, rolling her eyes at him as he stuck his tounge out at her. She quickly finished packing his bag and closed it. As she lowered it to the floor, she was surprised when Seifer's face appeared right in front of her as she was leaning over next to the bed.

"Hey Quistis," he said quietly, staring at her.

"Hey Seifer," she responded, equally quiet. She hesitated for a second before beginning to speak again. "Can I tell you something?" she asked, suddenly nervous. He nodded and reached forward with his hand to gently remove her glasses.

"Now I can see you better," he murmured, putting the glasses on the small table beside his bed. Quistis swallowed thickly as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Seifer quickly sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed and pulling the craying blonde into his lap. Her head rested against his chest as he held her tightly to him. His hand that wasn't resting on her waist was gently rubbing circles on her back, trying to soothe her.

"Quis, baby, what's wrong? What did I do?" he asked, anxious that he had unwittingly done something to upset her.

She quickly pulled back to look him in the face. "No Seifer. You didn't do anything. I didn't mean to start crying. I'm sorry," she rambled, unable to stop talking. Seifer quickly shushed her using the same technique as Rinoa.

"Shhh baby, just breathe. It's okay. Just take it slow. I'm not going anywhere," he said, trying to tell her his feelings wihtout saying the words. As her sobs slowed, she took a deep breath and lifted her head up to look into his face. She swallowed her tears and smiled a tiny hint of a smile to reassure him.

"Seifer, I just wanted to tell you, before you leave," she paused and the silence seemed to Seifer to last forever. "I love you Seifer," her statement was followed by a silence more profound than the one before as Seifer seemed to have stopped breathing.

When he didn't respond, Quistis pulled back further and gently tapped her fingers against his cheek, trying to bring him back to her. After a few moments his eyes moved to meet hers and his jaw dropped open.

"Are you?" She didn't let him finish the question, kissing him instead. He kissed her back immediately and her arms would themselves around his neck.

As she broke the kiss, both of them breathing heavily, she dropped her head back onto his chest.

"I love you too," he breathed into the space between them as he held her tightly to him.

AN: Its taken me forever to get this chapter to a point where I liked the way its written - in my opinion this chapter is one of the most important emotionally for the characters and I'm not very good at expressing emotion so this whole chapter was one of the most difficult for me to write. It turned out to be one of my favorites for this story so I hope I did a good job and that it turns out to be worth the wait. I'm back at school and trying to get back into a rhythm so hopefully updates should start coming more steadily. Half a chapter exists for Fool to Think (if anyone is reading that or is interested) and the next chapter of Apt 29 B should be getting worked on tonight as soon as I post this.one.


	20. The End of the Beginning

**End of the Beginning**

Seifer sighed as he leaned against the wall of the alleyway. He had just been chased out of the base and the soldiers were still pursuing him. He heard the pounding of feet behind him and pushed himself off the wall wearily. Did they have nothing better to do than chase him around all morning? Setting off down the alley away from the sounds he reflected that they probably really didn't have anything better to do than follow him around the city. Reaching the end of the alley, he jumped up on top of a dumpster, using the perch to climb up onto the flat roof of a house. Peering over the edge of the roof he saw the soldiers enter the alleyway after him. Smirking, he set off across the roof, free of pursuit; for now at least.

He had been sent back to Timber to retrieve the files that documented the attack on the Garden. General Caraway had been hard at work since the battle trying to get the Galbadian President brought up on charges but since he didn't have any concrete evidence, his attempts had been unsuccessful. Finally, Caraway had contacted Headmaster Cid about hiring SeeD to get the information for him. Seifer had been the ideal choice for the mission because of his involvement in the original conflict.

He had gotten in easily enough but had gotten overconfident on his way out and had been discovered. Now he was being chased through the whole town of Timber. He had to admit that if this was happeing to someone else he would have found the whole thing highly amusing. But, as it was, it was very frustrating. Glancing behind him, he saw that the soldiers still hadn't figured out his trick.

The group of soldiers in front of him were a shock to him though. Without time to think of anything else, he just kept running, bowling into the middle of the group. He felt hands grab the back of his coat and kicked out behind him without looking and smirked as he felt the hands release him. He put his shoulder down and smashed into another man. The soldier was lifted off his feet from the blow and fell onto his back on the rooftop. Seifer jumped over the fallen man and kicked out again, hitting another soldier in the stomach.

As he broke free of the group he sprinted for the edge of the roof. The remaining soldiers behind him began to shoot at him. With a curse, he ducked his head and picked up speed. If he timed his jump, he could get to the the roof of the pet shop and into the train station before they could catch him.

Not slowing a bit, he hit the edge of the roof and jumped, clearing the alley and hitting the slanted room of the pet store. He slid back down a little and hurriedly began scrambling up the roof, trying to get to the other side of the roof, out of range of the bullets still flying around him. Reaching the top, he pulled himself over, letting his body slide down head first while his right hand kept hold of the top of the roof. When his arm was fully extended, his legs were swung rapidly down under him again. He winced as he felt his right arm come out of socket. Letting go of the edge, he slid down on his back until his feet hit the edge of the roof. Holding his right arm to his chest, he jumped down from the roof, landing solidly on his feet. His left knee collapsed as a sharp pain shot up his leg. He gritted his teeth against the pain and pushed himself up with his good arm. Limping quickly, he entered the train station and got a ticket for the first train anywhere. He heard the soldiers entering the station as he boarded the train, the sliding door seperating them as the train pulled out of the station.

Still limping, he made his way through the passenger car until he got to the SeeD car. He entered and was glad to see that it was deserted. Groaning, he dropped into a seat, feeling the back of his left leg gingerly. His fingers found a bloody patch halfway down the back of his pants leg. Through the hole ripped in his pants by the bullet he could feel a bleeding line creasing the back of his leg. The bullet had just grazed him then. Sighing in relief, he leaned back in his seat. Quistis would have killed him if he had ended up getting shot.

Feeling his shoulder, he decided to just leave it out until he got back to the Garden and Doctor Kadowaki could fix it. With a groan he levered himself out of his seat and checked the luggage compartment under the bench seat. Sure enough, there were SeeD uniforms folded neatly in the drawer, just as regulations demanded.

He changed clothes as quickly as he could with his injuries, tossing his sweaty shirt and bloody pants into an empty duffel bag that was also in the compartment. He put his trench coat back on, making sure that the files he had been sent to retrieve were still in the inside pocket of the coat. Feeling something else in the pocket he slowly stuck his hand in and pulled out a small box. He had been carrying it around for weeks, always in the inside pocket of his coat. He found he couldn't help pulling it out and just staring at its contents.

The ring was white gold with a single diamond in the center, two blue sapphires on either side of the diamond. Swallowing in trepedation, he closed the ring box with a snap and sat back in the seat heavily.

He couldn't believe it. He was actually considering asking Quistis to marry him. He knew without a doubt that he loved her and that he wanted to spend his life with her but he had never imagined himself gettting married. Until Quistis, he could never imagined wanting to. He didn't know why he had been granted this second chance and he didn't really care. He was just thankful that he had it – had her. She had saved him, from Ultimecia, from himself.

* * *

Quistis was nervous and antsy as she taught her class. Seifer had only been gone one day. She knew he couldn't contact her while he was on the mission but she couldn't help fearing that he had been hurt or killed.

Giving up on lecturing, she assigned group work for the class and sat at her desk with her face in her hands. She was scared for him. He'd always been confidents in himself and she had to admit that he was a good fighter but she couldn't stop herself from being afraid for him.

She jumped as her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket. Pulling it out of her coat, she opened it and was surprised to see that she had a new text message from Selphie.

_"I knw ur n class, sry. Sfr bck, n inf."_

Feeling lightheaded, she closed the phone, feeling her hands shacking as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. A knock on the door came a moment later and the class looked up, curious.

"Keep working," she said as she stood up shakily, her voice sounding weak in her own ears. Rinoa was standing on the other side and immediately pulled her friend into a hug as she saw the look on her face.

"You go. I'll stay here with your class," Rinoa said. Quistis nodded gratefully and set off to the infirmary at a quick walk. Before she got to the end of the hall it had become a run.

* * *

Seifer was reclining on his bed in the infirmary, bored out of his mind. He had only been back at the Garden for a few minutes when Selphie, coming out of the cafeteria, had seen him limping towards the infirmary. She had helped him get to the doctor's office and then messaged Quistis to tell the instructor that he was back. Doctor Kadowaki had reset his shoulder and applied a salve to the bullet wound on the back of his leg within a couple of minutes and ordered the SeeD into one of the private rooms to rest. Seifer had protested, stating that he needed to get the documents he had recovered up to Squall's office. The doctor had resolutely taken the files and sent them with Selphie up to Squall's office.

Now Seifer was alone and bored. The doctor had told him to get some sleep but he found himself unable to rest. His interest was piqued a little when he heard voices in the other room. He began to regret not falling asleep whenever Quistis stormed into the room, her face pale, blue eyes angry.

"Seifer!" she cried, punching his wounded arm.

He winced. "Ow! What did I do?" he asked, raising his hands to defend himself.

"You dislocated your arm," she cried, punching him again.

"That's not that bad," he protested, grabbing her wrists in his hands to spare himself more blows.

"You got shot!" she yelled in his face, tears welling up in her eyes.

Seifer did manage to look guilty as she glared at him and he used his grip on her hands to pull her down into his arms. She clung to him, squeezing her eyes closed as he held her. "I'm sorry baby. I'm okay though. I'm right here," he whispered, rocking her gently. "I love you," he said quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you Seifer," she said back to him, pulling back to look him in the eyes. "You scared me. I missed you."

He smiled at her as he answered. "I missed you too Quis. I'm sorry I scared you. Did no one think to tell you that I wasn't dead when they went telling you I was in here?" he asked, gesturing with one hand to the infirmary.

"I guess not," Squall's voice came from behind them as the commander entered the room with Rinoa right behind him.

"Well maybe you should have thought of that so she wouldn't freak out," Seifer commented to his commander as his friends came in.

"I'll have to do that next time," Squall said, smirking down at his former rival. Quistis' head whipped around at this and she fixed her blue glare on Squall. The smirk slipped off of the teenaged commander's face and he took a step back. "What I mean is…" he stuttered, trying to retract his statement.

"Alright Quis, lay off him. You know he didn't mean anything," Seifer said, pulling Quistis' body to lean against his chest while he wrapped his arms around her waist. She tried to sit up and turn towards him so she could argue but he wouldn't let her, just held her tighter and pressed kisses against her neck.

Rinoa was watching the scene with a smile on her face while Squall was smirking at Seifer. The blonde just pointed at them and slid a finger across his throat, making his meaning clear. Quistis smirked and hugged Seifer's forearms as she settled into his arms.

"I'm going to need to see you in my office later, whenever you get out," Squall said as he waved goodbye. "I've got to head back to the office." The couple on the bed said goodbye, Rinoa standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss.

"Is the class doing okay Rin?" Quistis asked.

The scorceress smiled and nodded. "Yeah, they turned in their group work and I let them go."

Quistis nodded her thanks and smiled back at her firend. "Thanks for covering for me. I don't think I could have made it through the rest of class."

Rinoa grinned. "Yeah I noticed. You were freaking out Quis," she teased her friend.

"I can't help it that I love the careless, inconciderate…."

Seifer interrupted. "I wasn't trying to get shot," he objected. The girls both laughed and Seifer scowled. Just then the door opened behind Rinoa and Doctor Kadowaki came in. She smiled at them and moved over to the bedside.

"You two shouldn't gang up on Seifer like this." Seifer grinned and stuck his tongue out at Rinoa. "And Instructor Trepe, you really shouldn't be lying on the patient," she continued, causing Quistis to blush and Rinoa and Seifer to laugh. Seifer released his hold on Quistis' waist and the doctor seized one of Seifer's wrists to take his pulse while Quistis slid off the bed. Doctor Kadowaki checked Seifer's shoulder to make sure it wasn't bruised and then handed him a bottle of salve for his leg. "Just put some more on every three hours and you should be fine in a few days," she ordered, checking things on his chart as she spoke.

"So, can I leave?" he asked hopefully, sitting up in bed. The doctor nodded and was surprised when Seifer immediately swung his legs out of the bed and stood up. "Thanks doc." Quistis hugged Seifer as he walked over to her, smiling up at him.

"I'm glad you're okay," she whispered as he tightened his arms around her.

"So Quistis are you done with classes for the day?" Rinoa asked the embracing couple. Frowning, Quisitis shook her head.

"I've got one more," she said.

Seifer checked his watch quickly as he pulled his trench coat over his shoulder gingerly. "Well, I have to go talk to Squall for a while so how about we all meet in the cafeteria at dinner time?" he suggested. The two girls nodded and smiled.

"Just make sure to tell Squall. Otherwise he'll just work through dinner again," Rinoa requested. Seifer nodded with a smirk and the friends moved out of the infirmary. When they reached the hub of the Garden, they seperated. Rinoa went to the dormitory, while Quistis and Seifer walked together to the elevator. The car reached the second floor but Seifer pushed the stop button before Quistis could get off.

"Come here," he said quietly, pulling on her hand to bring her closer. Leaning down, he kissed her. She melted against him, her fingers sliding into his hair as she tried to pull him closer. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers. "I love you," he breathed into the stillness as they struggled to catch their breath.

"I love you too Seifer," she responded, wishing more than anything that she didn't have to leave the elevator. "I have to go to class now," she sighed. Seifer tipped her chin up and dropped another kiss on her lips.

"I'll see you after," he said as he pushed the button for the third floor. She exited the elevator and he waved goodbye as the doors slid closed.

As the doors opened again on the top floor, Seifer was greeted by a scathing glare from Xu. He smirked as he walked up to her desk.

"Good afternoon Xu. What could I have done already to make you so happy to see me?" he asked teasingly.

"There are cameras in the elevators," she growled at him. Seifer was momentarily surprised but covered it quickly.

Glaring at her, he replied. "Well then possibly you heard what we said?" he questioned, almost angrily.

With a grudging look, Xu nodded at him. "If you hurt her, I'll kill you," she couldn't resist adding.

"I'll never hurt her again," Seifer said, as serious as Xu had ever seen him. Surprising herself, she nodded and pushed the button to signal Squall that Seifer had arrived.

"You can go on in. He's expecting you."

Seifer pushed the door to Squall's office open and the commander waved him in. "How was the mission Seifer?"

"Besides getting shot and pulling my arm out, it went good. They found me on the base when I was getting back out but there's no way they could figure out who I was. I was in Timber army uniform so they'd have to check the whereabouts of every one of their soldiers and once Caraway releases the information, they won't ask questions about how he got it. They'll be too glad to have Galbadia off their backs to question their good fortune."

"You're right. Just to be sure I'll call General Caraway later and make sure that SeeD's involvement stays silent. Any casualties?" Squall asked, looking up from the papers on his desk.

Seifer shook his head. "There were some injuries but I didn't kill anyone."

Squall scanned the paper in front of him again as he wrote something down quickly. "Well then, I think that's it. Unless there's something else you needed?"

"Actually, I'm supposed to drag you to the cafeteria at dinner time," Seifer said with a grin. Squall glanced up again, one eyebrow raised. Seifer raised his hands and laughed. "Rinoa's orders man. Quis is meeting us there after her class gets out."

"Well, that should work. It'll take me a little while to finish the paper work on your mission and I have to run it up to the Headmaster and then I can go."

Seifer nodded and began to pace anxiously. Squall looked up from the paperwork again. "Was there something else you needed to tell me?"

Seifer stopped walking, turning to face his friend's desk. "I'm in love with Quistis," he blurted. Squall leaned back in his chair silently. "I want to marry her," the blonde continued. Squall pushed back his chair and stood up, moving around the desk and seating himself on the edge, pushing things out of the way with one hand without looking.

* * *

There was a familiar ring over the loudspeaker and the Garder unconciously slowed down, waiting to hear what the commander was going to say. Instead of hearing immediate orders, there were just some rustling noises and then Seifer's voice.

_Say something Squall._

Rinoa was on her way back to the dorms when she heard the speaker come on and was surprised to hear Seifer's voice rather than Squall's.

_I don't know what to say Seifer. That's fairly huge._

Rinoa frowned. Did they know the loudspeaker was on? Deciding to check, she moved out of the dorms quickly, walking swiftly towards the elevator.

_Tell me I'm not doing something crazy. _Seifer's voice was almost pleading.

_I can't tell you that Seifer. You have to do what you feel. If you love her then go for it._

Rinoa reached the elevator at a run, hammering on the up button anxiously.

* * *

Quistis was doing her best to keep class going normally but the student's amusement was making it hard. Her face grew redder as the words continued to come over the speaker. Reaching a decision, she stood up, drawing the student's attention back to her.

"Read chapter seven on weapon maintainence until I get back," she said. "If I don't get back before the end of class, do not leave until the bell."

Moving at a quick walk, she hurried down the hallway toward the elevator but was frustrated to discover that the elevator was in use.

* * *

Rinoa groaned in frustration as she pounded on the third floor button as the elevator rose slowly.

_I've never proposed to someone before. What if it doesn't come out right?_

_She loves you Seifer. It'll come out fine._

The doors of the elevator slid open and Rinoa bolted through, running past Xu's desk without stopping and bursting into Squall's office.

"Guys! The intercom has been on!" she gasped out, leaning over to catch her breath. Squall turned around on the desk, seeing where a paper weight had pressed the button for the intercom that was on the top of the desk. Hurriedly he reached over and switched it off. Turning back to look at Seifer, he winced as he saw the redness that was rising in the ex-knight's face.

"She heard us?" he questioned slowly, his tone unreadable. Squall nodded guilitly and Rinoa bit her lip.

"Seifer," she started to speak but Seifer interrupted.

"No Rinoa," he said quietly, turning his head to look at her. "I have to find her. I just messed up the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said and the desperation was evident in his voice, his green eyes worried.

"Sorry Seifer," Squall offered as the blonde turned to leave the room. Seifer didn't turn around but waved over his shoulder as he left the office.

Hitting the down button, he anxiously racked his brain for an idea of where Quistis might be. She was supposed to be in class but he thought that since he had just announced to the whole school that he wanted to propose to her that she might have gone somewhere else to get away from the curious students and faculty. Cursing his stupidity, he tapped the button again, deciding to check the classroom first, just in case.

The doors slid open and he felt the breath rush out of his lungs. Quistis was standing in the elevator car, tears streaming down her face, a hand covering her mouth. He moved cautiously into the car, hoping she wasn't too upset. "Baby? Quistis?" he walked slowly closer, never taking his eyes off of hers. When he got close to her he wrapped his arms around her and was surprised when she instantly clung to him. "Are you okay?" he asked her, looking down at the top of her head.

"You were going to propose to me?" she asked and he could hear the tears in her voice.

Swallowing, he nodded. "Yes; I mean, it's us Quis. How could we be less than forever?" He paused. "I still will if you'll let me."

Her tears started anew and she pulled back to look into his face. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs as he brought his hands up to cradle her face. "Don't cry," he murmured, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. She smiled as he pulled back and took her hands, holding onto her as he lowered himself onto his knees, being careful of his injured leg.

"Quistis, I love you. You've been there for me when no one else was and the time we've spent together has been the best of my life. I can't imagine life without you and I can't understand how I lived so long without you. I never want to be without you again. If you would marry me, it would make me the happiest man alive. Will you marry me?" His green eyes never wavered from her blues as he waited for her answer, fear of her rejection apparent in his face.

She squeezed his hands, tears running down her face as she nodded, unable to speak. Swallowing, she spoke. "Seifer, yes. Of course. I love you," her words came in a rush as her hands shook.

Seifer stood up as quickly as he could, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. Her arms went around his neck, fingers sliding into his hair. Pulling back, Seifer reached into the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out the ring box. He opened it and held the ring up where Quistis could see it. He lifted her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger, pressing a kiss onto the back of her hand. She reached up and hugged him tightlly, tears still streaming from her eyes.

Blinking in surprise, she realized that Rinoa, Squall, and Xu were all watching them silently. Tears were in Rinoa's eyes and she was smiling at her friends. Squall's arm was around the sorceress, a genuine smile on his face. Xu was smiling despite herself, one hand covering her mouth.

"So when's the wedding?" Rinoa asked cheekily as Seifer turned around. He smirked at her and wrapped his arm around Quistis.

"Unimportant things like dates don't concern me," Seifer answered. "All that matters is that we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."

"Does that mean you're not mad at me?" Squall asked, smirking at his former rival.

Seifer smirked and Quistis stopped him from answering, kissing him and locking her arms around his neck. Pulling back slightly, Seifer responded. "Yeah, I forgive you." He didn't have time to say anything else before Quistis was kissing him again.

AN: It's finally finished! This is my oldest and longest story and I have loved writing every page of it. I hope ya'll have enjoyed reading it and I appreciate everyone who's read and those who have reviewed. Thanks so much. Drop me one more if you like it.


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